LQHS Culinary Academy

LA QUINTA HIGH SCHOOL’S AWARD-WINNING ACADEMY

Opens Doors for Careers in the Culinary Arts

By: Sherry Barkas, City of La Quinta

Growing up, Jacqueline Delgado enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with her dad, who has worked in the restaurant business, so much so she began at an early age thinking about culinary school.

“I grew up with my dad, just kind of mixing things up … and learning from it,” she said.

In elementary school, the Indio native learned of La Quinta High School’s stateof-the-art Culinary Academy and put the program in her sights. Then, the first day of her freshman year finally arrived and with it, enrollment in the program. deepened her passion for culinary arts.

“After we learn the basics, we start to learn how to apply the basics to more of our cooking … and it sets us up for what we really want to do,” Jacqueline said.

Students move through the program together as a class, which creates a camaraderie and teaches students the value of working together as a team.

“I love the rush of cooking up our meals … to all work together instead of just individually,” Jacqueline said. “If you’re learning how to do something it is so much more fun learning with so many people who are in the same boat as you, with the same questions, same concerns, same everything to just work together and succeed in a teamwork environment.”

She has been accepted at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, which she plans to attend for at least two years, starting in the fall.

Starting with the basics

La Quinta High School’s Culinary Academy is a four-year program where students have the opportunity to develop and grow their cooking skills in a large industrial kitchen.

The program has won a record seven California ProStart Cup championships, where students fix a three-course meal

What the students make in the academy is often shared with the high school community and beyond through catering events.

Students also use their skills to give back to the community. experience and passion for cooking to the program, but said he is often learning and preparing new dishes along with the students. Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, both of which have hospitality programs, and has a vision of one day opening her own business.

I feel like a kid again, he said.

“I don’t know exactly what yet. But I do want it to be baking – pastries, breads – with my cousin,” she said.

On November 10, students spent hours cooking and preparing a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings they then served to about 150 veterans and first responders at their annual “Feed the Heroes” luncheon.

The students also baked 5,000 cookies for the Old Town Artisan Studios’ Gingerbread Lane.

The program takes students from the basics including kitchen safety and sanitation, food handler certification through Riverside County and simple baking recipes to making sausage from scratch, curing and smoking meats and creating complicated dishes.

In 10th and 11th grades, students are enrolled in dual culinary classes with College of the Desert. In their senior year, students focus on the business aspect of owning and operating a restaurant.

A popular event among students is the Blackhawk Showdown, in which two teams of students led by local chefs face off with the audience deciding the winning team by voting for their favorite dish.

Another is creating a pop-up restaurant with faculty as their customers. The students decide on a concept for their restaurant, do the market research, calculate food costs, create the menu and take on the various roles of restaurant staff, including chef, kitchen crew, servers, hosts and hostesses.

“The students get very creative” in building their pop-up, Culinary Academy instructor David Wood said.

Students say the program is extensive in its teachings, but the learning environment is fun and positive. Students leave the academy with knowledge and experience that puts them well ahead of others entering their first year of culinary arts colleges.

“By the time the students are graduating, they have done a lot,” Wood said.

Discovering a hidden passion

Senior Jordan Torres knew she had a passion for culinary arts after spending a summer with her aunt, who enrolled her in cooking classes.

“Honestly, it’s been a really great experience being able to be here all my four years of high school,” she said.

“It was nice because we were able to really connect with our teachers a little bit more than we would with other teachers, and the hands-on experience of being able to work in the kitchen, and especially the events we get to do – they’re very amazing,” Jordan said. “It’s fun.”

After high school, Jordan plans to attend College of the Desert or CSU San Marcelo Muto came to La Quinta High School uncertain of a career path. He tried the drama program, but soon found that wasn’t a good fit. So, after speaking with his guidance counselor he decided to try the Culinary Academy, which awakened a passion he didn’t know he had.

“Now, four years later, I actually have a job as a chef … at La Quinta Resort” while going to school, he said.

He moves around among each of the resort’s five restaurants, which gives him hands-on experience working with different people and preparing a variety of cuisines.

“I’m not just doing one restaurant, they move us around to different restaurants and also banquets, which is serving huge amounts of people,” Marcelo said.

He hopes to attend Culinary Institute of America California Campus in the Napa Valley after high school graduation or continue his education at College of the Desert.