“The courses are about more than just teaching and learning foundational culinary skills. They’re also about sharing, serving others in the community, and creating fellowship. Both aspects are equally important and cornerstones to what we’re trying to achieve.”
- Park City High School Culinary Educator and Chef Kari Patterson
The Career Technical Education's Culinary Program at PCHS is serving up more than just food. It gives students hands-on experience and real-world skills in Culinary Arts. The brand-new commercial kitchen in the high school’s CTE building marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the program. The kitchen is the centerpiece of the new wing, and it’s hard to miss. With a modern design and huge windows inviting a peek inside right as you enter the building, it draws you in and you can’t help but wonder…am I really in a high school?
Led by Educator and Chef Kari Patterson, the program includes a variety of courses such as Baking & Pastry and Food & Nutrition. Within the CTE Culinary Arts Pathway, students can also build foundational skills in Culinary 1 and the two-year ProStart program.
“ProStart and Culinary 1 students have a natural path into the industry if that’s what they choose,” Chef Patterson said. “PCHS’s courses help students who want to grow into the industry and those who just want to hone in on their culinary skills. Both classes can count toward college credit through concurrent enrollment.”
In Culinary 1, students learn essential skills such as classical knife cuts, stock preparation, and different cooking methods, including dry heat, moist heat, and combination techniques. They also tackle bread-making.
The two-year ProStart program builds on these basics, focusing on the business and creative aspects of the industry. Students design their own menus, calculate costs, and manage operations, gaining insights into running a restaurant.
Beyond culinary techniques, courses emphasize life skills such as teamwork, discipline, organization, and accountability. “For example, students have learned ‘mise en place,’ a French term meaning ‘everything in its place,’” said Patterson. She first applied this concept to everyday life by helping students organize their backpacks. “An organized life means an organized mind, and this just transfers to everything in life. In the kitchen, students also have taken complete ownership of the new setup, deciding where to place items such as frequently used equipment, pantry staples, and even event decor, learning the importance of having a functional and efficient workspace,” she explained.
A Thanksgiving Feast Showcasing Skill, Community, and New Traditions
Before Thanksgiving break, culinary students had the opportunity to prepare and serve a Thanksgiving lunch for approximately 100 teachers and staff. The event highlighted the program’s focus on community, service, and teamwork, as well as the capabilities of the new commercial kitchen. Patterson invited guest chefs from Rational, the company behind the program's new Combi oven, to mentor the students and oversee the roasting of six turkeys using the equipment.
Chef Patterson said, “While we were preparing for the Thanksgiving meal, I called my mentor, Chef Peter Hodgson CEC, AAC, with the students to get his input, as he’s had extensive experience with large-scale event preparations throughout his 58 year career. He rattled off a brine recipe, and one of the students quickly wrote it down. After the call, as we were getting ready to start brining the turkeys, the student said, ‘I’ve got the secret sauce right here,’ referring to the recipe we’d just talked through on the phone. I really loved that moment – the sharing and connection through food and recipes. The courses are about more than just teaching and learning foundational culinary skills. They’re also about serving others in the community, and creating fellowship. Each aspect is equally important and a cornerstone to what we’re trying to achieve.”
“About thirty students stayed after school to help with the Thanksgiving meal – they hosted, served, and even cleaned up afterward. Students brined the turkeys in five-gallon buckets and roasted them in the Rational Combi oven, which combines steam and dry heat and uses temperature probes to get everything just right. They prepared pie crusts and mashed potatoes in large batches with the new commercial mixers, and made stock in the tilt skillet. Watching them work together and use the professional equipment really showed how much they’ve learned and how the new space supports their growth. They even created pastry detail and cranberry garnishes on the pies; the presentation was really nice,” Patterson said of the day.
What’s Cooking in the Classroom Next?
After the success of the Thanksgiving meal, where students demonstrated their skills and worked together to serve the community, the culinary program is shifting gears to the competition season ahead. This spring, ProStart students will have the chance to earn a spot to show off their skills at Utah’s state competition in March. Chef Patterson will be making the most of the kitchen equipment, especially the new deck ovens, which are perfect for pizza-making (and sure to be a class favorite). On top of that, she’ll be teaching Baking & Pastry and Food & Nutrition courses next semester. Some classes may also have the opportunity to tour Montage Deer Valley to learn firsthand what it’s like to work in a resort kitchen – a great way to experience the fast-paced real-world culinary industry in Park City.
A Recipe for Success
Patterson’s journey to Park City High School began with a career in education in Texas before pivoting into food styling, culinary school, and restaurant training. Four years ago, she joined the school’s culinary program, calling it the “sweet spot” of her career. “This is the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my whole life,” she said. “It’s hard work, but rewarding to mentor and help enable the success of Park City students.” Known as the “singing chef,” she even performed an original song with colleague Cole Jessen in last year’s talent show and hopes to combine her musical background with culinary education to inspire and uplift her students.
PCEF funds Real World Learning, one of its Eight Signature Initiatives. PCEF donors have provided over $350,000 in new equipment throughout the new CTE building at PCHS. Equipment including, kitchen smallwares for Culinary Arts - thermometers, zesters, pasta makers, and sifters – to name a few – ensuring success in the kitchen, and a future filled with possibility in the culinary industry.
