SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Students at South Tahoe High School (STHS) have some amazing opportunities to explore careers and learn from highly experienced professionals in the many Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways offered to students. Students learn real-world skills and training in classic courses such as Construction & Engineering, Automotive Diagnosis & Repair, Culinary Arts & Baking, as well as new and innovative pathways such as Sports Medicine, Dental Assisting, Exercise Science, Environmental Science (Forestry & Natural Resources), and digital art courses such as Digital Photography, Digital Art Design, and Video Production & Broadcast.
This month’s highlight is the STHS cTE Culinary Arts program:
The sweet smell of dessert cooking or maybe the strong, pervading smell of pizza wafts down the halls. This is the setting for the CTE Culinary program at STHS. Through the use of the professional kitchen on the STHS campus, students are learning everything from the basics of cooking to more complicated recipes and presentation standards.
The students begin their culinary journey with simple recipes and food safety, and within weeks, they competed in groups to be rated for making and presenting the best chili in class. Students are given opportunities to work with professional chefs in the classroom such as the executive chef from The Grove, Chris Ibarra, and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC)’s culinary program director and head chef, Virat Vij as part of the Culinary Pathway that includes Intro to Baking, Intro to Culinary and Advanced Culinary all while earning dual enrollment college credits!
One of the highlights this year during the holidays was a Holiday Feast provided by CTE culinary students. The entire student body was fed a holiday lunch with all the fixings, then the teachers and staff were spoiled with the same treatment the following day. Turkey and ham, potatoes and stuffing, marshmallow-topped desserts, and they were served like a formal procession and fancy buffet by the culinary students. Culinary students provide many catered events throughout the community and school; students will also be participating in the inaugural BBQ Competition at LTCC on June 7, honing their culinary skills as masters of the grill!
CTE Culinary instructor David Jones brings 20 years of professional chef experience as he guides students into the culinary industry through work-based learning opportunities, catering on-campus events, and dual enrollment college credit, making it an engaging pathway that includes getting college credit through their dual enrollment program.
The South Shore has excellent restaurants, and many of the students find their way into one of the many local dining options. With local restaurants built by international celebrities like Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and Lisa Vanderpump’s “Wolf,” the high school’s CTE Culinary Program will be looking to expand partnerships and outreach to support these students’ interests in the culinary field.
For partnerships or information on how to support our CTE programs, email the CTE Pathway Navigator, Paul Loupe, at ploupe@ltusd.org.
-STHS CTE Program
