What’s Cooking In Chef Evans’ Class

on a high note

What’s Cooking In Chef Evans’ Class

By Dawn Klavon

Seems like Ronald Evans is always cooking up something special at Potomac High School in Dumfries. Chef Evans, as his students call him, teaches culinary arts, but his students get a lot more from him than that.

“This year’s theme is raising your bar,” Evans said. “We are reaching new heights, new goals in everything we do — not just in culinary — we’re talking life skills all the time.”

Evans came to teaching later in life, after serving 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his enlisted military service, he worked in the culinary field, in teaching, and as a drill instructor. His goal as a teacher — just like when he was in the Marines — is to make those around him feel like part of a family.

“It’s a family; you’re always a part of my family once you get to my class,” Evans said. “No matter what.”

He’s that teacher: the one all the students pop in to say good morning to before the school day begins. He’s the one students go to when they have a problem at home. Evans builds trust and respect by taking the time to get to know students and showing he cares.

“Chef Ronald Evans represents the very best of our Potomac teachers and staff,” said Potomac High School Principal Brandon Boles. “He is a master of bringing about high levels of student engagement through collaborative hands-on and project-based activities in his culinary classroom.”

Evans said if students are struggling with other classes and may have low grades, he intervenes to help them get their grades up. He uses cooking competition trips as an incentive for students to persevere. When a young lady in one of his classes had a physical

Chef Ronald Evans inspires students through creative cooking competitions and collaborative hands-on and project-based activities in his culinary classroom.

injury that rendered her temporarily unable to cook in his class, he assigned her to work on scholarship applications during her class time. Just recently, he invited guest speakers from the Culinary Institute of America to his classroom, and two students asked Chef Evans to write them letters of recommendation.

The bar is set high in Evans’ class, and students rise to the occasion. His classes consistently win national high school cooking competitions at Disney World and he has had many students graduate and go on to culinary school. Evans proudly lists a multitude of former students who are now attending numerous culinary colleges, including globally renowned Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. They keep in touch and make visits back to his classroom to inspire students

“Chef Evans has been so empowering and made a major impact in my life,” said one student. “He has always had a big heart and joyful personality.”

Chef Evans teaches culinary tricks of the trade, and forces students to get outside their comfort zone with creative problem solving. Currently, he is holding an “MRE Challenge.” Students are required to use military ready to eat meals in a cooking challenge, with a group of veterans visiting class to judge the competition. The veterans also share with students how they ate MREs while traveling and working in the military.

“Everybody wants to have a challenge; I see that drive in them,” Evans said of the cooking competitions. “At first they’re nervous, but then they love it.”

The best part of his job?

“Just talking to them,” Evans said. “About life, getting on their level.”

Throughout his 10 years at Potomac High School, Evans has found new and creative ways to provide the very best teaching and learning opportunities for students, even while working remotely during the pandemic.

“Ronald Evans showed true dedication to his students and exceptional creativity in the virtual classroom while his classes were taught online during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Jim Wilson, coordinator for ProStart, a career and technical education program that partners with Evans.

Chef Evans planned collaborative learning opportunities, having students join him on virtual field trips, and even delivering culinary supplies so that students could cook right from home.

“Every other week I would have the students drive up to the school to get a bag of food supplies so they could continue to hone in on their culinary skills from watching me demonstrate that recipe via Zoom,” he said.

The instructional leadership, innovation, and meaningful relationships with students shown in Chef Evans’ culinary kitchen and beyond are three of the reasons why he was selected as the 21-22 Potomac HS Teacher of the Year and Virginia ProStart Teacher of the Year, according to Principal Boles.

“Chef Evans embodies our school-wide focus on relationships, rigor, and results,” he said.

Accolades aside, Evans uses his influence to encourage students about cooking and beyond.

“They know I have their back 24/7,” he said. “And they know I’m gonna give them my best.”

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