Шеф-повар Джо Хант: программа кулинарного искусства в Whiteside Area Career Center готовит студентов к реальным карьерам

Chef Joe Hunt's culinary arts program at Whiteside Area Career Center teaches students discipline, accountability, and hands-on experience in the food service and hospitality industries. The program, which has grown from 11 students to 65 students, offers certifications and real-time catering experience through events like the Sauk Valley Grown Farm Tours and Dinner. Students like Kyver Toppert are drawn to the program to develop cooking skills and pursue careers in culinary arts, with opportunities to cater events, sell pastries at farmers markets, and learn valuable teamwork skills. The creme brulee was, to quote Chef Joe Hunt, "Perfect. Restaurant quality." Kyver Toppert, a Morrison High School senior and a second-year student in Hunt's culinary arts program at Whiteside Area Career Center, was relieved. The creme brulee was his creation. "It's a lot of steps that you have to get right. I think being precise and exact with it is the key to getting it right," Toppert said. Taking initiative and having the patience to make a perfect creme brulee – the custard-like dessert that involves whisking egg yolks and sugar together, tempering the mixture with heated cream, then cooking the dessert in a water bath, before chilling it and topping the dessert with sugar that is caramelized with a broiler or a kitchen torch before serving – are what Hunt wants to see in his students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunt, who has been the instructor of the culinary arts program at WACC for 16 years, is teaching students more than baking, boiling, frying, and sautéing. "Definitely discipline and accountability. You have to show up," Hunt said. Along the way, students learn what they need to know to pursue careers in the food service and hospitality industries, and they can earn their food service certifications. "The ultimate goal is to get them their certifications, maybe a couple of career paths, and get them licensed for food handler and manager licenses," Hunt said. The program currently has 65 students; close to 70 signed up for the spring semester and a waiting list. When Hunt started, as the part-time instructor, he had 11 students. Advertisement Advertisement Hunt credits the popularity of TV food shows and personalities and online food preparation for some of the growth of the program. "Kids are here to develop their own skills and get hands-on training. I think that is why most of them are here, to get the hands-on experience. It's one thing to read about it or to see it on TV and online. It's another to get in there and actually do it, and I think that is the biggest draw," he said. Toppert said he was drawn to the program after a tour of WACC when he was in eighth grade. "I didn't know if I wanted to do WACC until my junior year. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after high school, so I thought it would be nice to know how to cook because that's a great skill to have. Taking this class has made me want to become a chef and pursue a career in culinary arts," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Events like the upcoming Sauk Valley Grown Farm Tours and Dinner, a collaboration among Hunt's program, the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Illinois Extension, give Hunt's students real-time catering experience. The menu is planned around local products from farms in the area. The event includes tours of several of those farms. "It's a great connection between the students because we have former students coming back to help, and our new students who will be helping. We have the farmers connecting with our students so it's all about connections," Hunt said. It's also all about the work involved with catering. The kitchen at WACC has certification to serve food, and it does so, from catering events inside and outside the school to serving up breakfast at events for staff, faculty, and fellow students. In February, WACC will be a guest vendor at the Twin Cities Farmers Market in Sterling, selling breakfast pastries created by students. "We do live catering, so they plan it, prep it, cook it, and clean it up. That is a great experience for them, being able to handle food properly, keep and cook it properly, and then cleaning up after to make it look like there was nobody even in there," Hunt said. Advertisement Advertisement Along the way, whether it's grilling burgers, perfecting their omelette, or caramelizing the sugary top of a creme brulee, Hunt sees his students learning more than culinary arts. "There are so many other levels to what they learn in this kitchen," he said. "They learn to be a good teammate, a good classmate, and they learn to work together. They learn to be the 'all the time' student, who shows up ready to go every day. That is what I want to teach them; it's as simple as that."