Sharpen your knives and get ready to cook.
The Foods course is one of the most popular classes to sign up for.
The class, taught by Chef Colleen Farris and Chef Susan Williams, is offered at three levels: Foods l, and then Foods ll and Foods lll which are included in the ProStart curriculum.
Chef Farris began teaching four years ago at Broughton. She gained a culinary diploma at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon;.
Later, she worked in the hospitality industry for eleven years, and has done both small and large scale cooking.
“I love to cook. I love to see students master something that becomes their own; I can guide them but everything they invest into this class, they receive back. With this class, you really do see investment,” Farris said.
In Foods 1, students can learn safety, the language of the kitchen, planning meals, and nutrition.
In the ProStart program, Farris teaches cooking methods as well as French and International cooking.
Students can also learn basic information they’d find in culinary school or about careers as chefs or in the hospitality industry.
ProStart stands for professional start. It offers students a chance to learn skills that they’d see in culinary school, earn nationally recognized credit, and gain 400 hours of work experience. Some universities, like Johnson and Wales, can even grant ProStart credit.
Students often apply if they have a B or better in Foods 1, good attendance, and a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
One of the best parts about the ProStart program is Dining with the Pros. Students get to run their own business by overseeing all the parts of production, like ordering food, pricing it, etc.
They sell food to teachers and use the profits to support the program.
“ProStart teaches students that they need to practice, they must do it over and over again. Practice leads to mastery,” Farris said.
A lot of students sign up to be in Foods l so it can be difficult to get into the class. Even if students aren’t in the class, they have the chance to use Rouxbe, an online cooking school.
Two years ago, Farris convinced former principal Stephen Mares to get funding for Broughton faculty and students to use the website for free.
If students are interested in receiving a Rouxbe account, contact Chef Farris and provide your first name, last name, and email. With an account, incredible recipes, professional cooking videos, and helpful cooking tips are just a free click away. Farris also has a Remind account; text @capscook to 81010.
“I think everyone should learn how to make one dish really well. You can actually make someone fall in love with food. It’s really the way to the heart,” Farris said.