Cooking 101

Do you know a high school student with a passion for cooking? One who may want to become a line cook, sous chef, pastry chef or even someone's personal chef? If so, the Education-To-Career Culinary Arts Program of the Chicago Public Schools or the After School Matters Program (in conjunction with the Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago) may be the place for them!

Education-To-Careers Culinary Arts Program

Remember the days when food service classes were offered under the home economics program? Not anymore! Now the revamped Education-To-Careers (ETC) Culinary Program of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is designed to deliver industry-standard based instruction leading to entry-level hospitality employment and post-secondary education.

"Children should be exposed to the culinary arts at an early age," states Michelle Hassan, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Cluster Manager in the ETC Department. "Their natural curiosity can be a great benefit in helping them to be creative."

What's on the menu?
Students in this program commit to a three-course sequence during their sophomore, junior and senior years in high school, which prepares them for entry-level positions in both the "front and back of the house." Courses are a blend of theory and practical skills and a core curriculum (language arts, math, science, history and art) is integrated in the culinary curriculum at all levels.

• Introductory courses: food safety, sanitation, professional knife skills, basic nutrition, cooking methods, breakfast cookery, salads, sandwiches and baking.
• Intermediate and advanced courses: vegetable cookery, meat cookery, poultry cookery, seafood cookery, pasta and grains, soups, sauces, baking and pastry, and menu planning.

The teachers in these programs have a well-rounded background in fine and casual dining and catering, as well as a motivational spirit and good communication skills.

These programs are currently offered at: Academy of Applied Science and Technology (AASTA), Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Clemente Community Academy, Collins High School, Corliss High School, Crane Tech Prep, Curie Metropolitan High School, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, Englewood High School, Farragut Career Academy, Fenger Academy, Harper High School, Hyde Park Career Academy, Julian High School, Manley Career Academy, Marshall Metro High School, North-Grand High School, Prosser Career Academy, Richards Career Academy, Simeon Career Academy, and Tilden Career Community Academy.

Recipe for a good chef:
Individuals must show initiative, drive, creativity, good judgment (e.g., knowing when to give the chef an idea and when not to), dependability, and be trustworthy and enthusiastic. "It is important that people pursuing this career path have an overall understanding that this is a service industry; it is the art of serving people," notes Hassan.

What to expect in the kitchen and beyond:
Most of the entry level positions into which these students move include prep cook, runner, food prep, cashier and catering assistant. The salaries initially start at minimum wage, but many of the positions pay about $9-10/hour. The environment is fast-paced, the kitchens are hot and the work often includes manual labor and standing for long periods of time with some long hours and holiday work.

Individuals must show initiative, drive, creativity, good judgment (e.g., knowing when to give the chef an idea and when not to), dependability, and be trustworthy and enthusiastic.

The pay-off can include some tasty outcomes. Students have worked at The Palmer House, Charlie Trotters, the Signature Room at the 95th, Marshall Fields and numerous other casual and upscale restaurants. Many business partners are associated with this program - Illinois Restaurant Association and Chartwells, for example, and assist with job shadowing, internships and scholarships. At the completion of the program, students can earn industry recognitions, such as the Sanitation Certification and the ProStart Certification.

"To be successful in this industry, you must have a passion for food. If you do, you will experience great fulfillment," Hassan reports.

How can I get a reservation?
For information on these programs, contact Michelle Hassan at the CPS Department of Education-To-Careers at myhassan@cps.k12.il.us or at 773-553-2472. For general information, visit ETC's website at www.etcchicago.com.

After School Matters Program

After School Matters (ASM) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to supplying Chicago teens with unique after school opportunities. One of its many programs includes a culinary training program for 16-18 years old who are currently in high school. This program provides students with hands-on experience preparing and serving meals to others - "like school and work combined" - with the possibility of a real job afterwards -the real "icing on the cake!"

Most of the entry level positions into which these students move include prep cook, runner, food prep, cashier and catering assistant.

What's on the menu?
During the summer, youth work Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. preparing to serve a buffet for about 150 people on Friday under the guidance of Chef David Muchowicz (Chef Instructor) and Chef Tobias Temms (Downtown Director). The meal ($5) is served on the third floor terrace of the Illinois Institute of Art and includes music. The students' weekly schedule typically looks like this:

• Monday: Students and chef review the menu and begin to prepare for Friday's buffet.
• Tuesday: Students cook for themselves and make adjustments to the recipes as necessary.
• Wednesday and Thursday: Students are in full-blown preparation mode - cutting, chopping, measuring out ingredients and prepping food to be cooked the following day.
• Friday: Organized chaos, final meal preparations and decorating the space until the doors open.

Students rotate between the various stations in the kitchen under the supervision of different chefs (salads, entrees and desserts) who themselves have worked at some of the finest restaurants in Chicago. In Chef Muchowicz's "kitchen of love," students learn how to move around a kitchen in amazing synchronicity. Once the food is prepared for the buffet, students serve the food, while describing each dish.

Students receive a stipend of $6/hour for their work. Once students are accepted into the program, they receive their own uniform and bus passes for travel to and from classes - all at no cost to the student. The course itself is also free of charge.

Even though the work conditions include long hours, as Chef Temms describes, "If you are happy at what you do, you will never work a day in your life."

From September to June, students attend the Advanced Arts Education Program (AAEP) - run by Chicago Public Schools - for which they get honors credit and college credit for culinary work completed in the ASM program.

The recipe for a good chef:
The recipe is simple, claims Chef Muchowicz; you need to have a passion for cooking and for being responsible. Employers are looking for trained, quality people who are worth their investment in time, explains Chef Muchowicz. Employers want individuals who come to work on time everyday with a good attitude and a willingness to learn. Entry-level pay for these jobs range from about $9.00/hour to a mid-range salary of $35,000, and can increase upward from there depending on training and experience for an Executive Chef position.

In Chef Muchowicz's "kitchen of love," students learn how to move around a kitchen in amazing synchronicity.

The cake is done baking... what happens next?
Once students complete the ASM course, they receive a certificate of completion and may be placed in restaurants such as the Peninsula Hotel, East Back Club, Cellular Field, Stadium Club and the House of Blues. Although the program is officially one year long, students are allowed to continue for a second year as a student mentor if their performance has been good.

How can I make a reservation?
ASM has three sessions: Fall, Spring and Summer. Youth apply for the program approximately one month before each session actually starts. Students fill out an online application and attend one of two interview dates. They are interviewed by a panel made up of Chef David, a former student or two and other chefs. Grades and school attendance are taken into consideration before a student is accepted into the culinary program.

Lonyae Thomas is a 16-year-old student who started the program last fall and currently is a senior at Whitney Young High School. She plans to become an early childhood educator with a focus on teaching children about diversity - through food! She brags, "this summer was only second to the summer I went to Disney World. I learned so many skills besides the amazing culinary ones - as the hostess, I had to be extremely organized - sending out menus, keeping track of reservations and collecting money. I also had to welcome the groups who visited us and had to work on my public speaking skills. These are all skills that would help me if I become a chef, a receptionist or a banker. "

For more information on the program, visit ASM's website at www.afterschoolmatters.org or contact Chef David Muchowicz at 312-777-7835.

• Given the many positions available in the culinary arts, including management and ownership, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), one of CPS-ETC's main partners, provides an average of $400,000 in scholarships every year to culinary colleges to continue students' education and training.


• The National Restaurant Association and the Illinois Restaurant Association have an educational foundation that offers scholarships. The National Restaurant Show that occurs in Chicago each year hosts a day-long, college-level event called "Salute to Excellence" which consists of sessions for students and a dinner to meet and network with peers from across the county.


• The National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) sponsors a two-day conference where businesses recruit students mainly from colleges; the second day is a job fair. NSMH also provides scholarships for minority high school students who are majoring in hospitality while in college.

The Chicago Board of Education recently approved plans for the Community Services West Career Academy - the first high school of culinary arts for at-risk students. This school will target out-of-school youth and 11th graders on the verge of dropping out, and provide vocational training in the culinary arts field. The Community Services West Career Academy, located in the North Lawndale community, will open its doors in the Fall of 2008 and accept about 120 students its first year. This school will provide high school degrees, and students will be able to earn state food-handling certification. Through a partnership with the Washburne Culinary Institute, students will also be able to earn 16 hours of college credit in the field.