A handful of curious students enrolled in Manhattan High School’s CTE classes also want to pursue a career in the field of culinary arts. Wanting to expand their knowledge on many broad topics, many of these future chefs attended the Kansas City Festival and JCCC Baking School on Oct 3.
These foodies had a tasteful experience. They talked to lots of different people, from chefs and kitchen managers, all the way to the people who handle the money side of a restaurant.
“We talked to this pro chef at the culinary festival,” senior Landyn Duncan said. “She just told us that being a chef is tiring, so make sure if you do it, this is the one thing that you’re actually passionate about.”
Along with plenty of advice, they also had sides of tasting different kinds of foods. The one that stood out to them the most was the A5 wagyu beef.
“It’s the most rare and expensive piece of beef in the world,” junior Devin Fogle said. “It was a great experience to see him break it down and cut it up into pieces where we could try it and eat it.”
This trip was not all about food tasting, even though many may have assumed it was. They also learned about how much more there is to learn outside the walls of MHS.
“They talked about stuff that we could learn and could look forward to eventually learning,” Duncan said. “One thing I look forward to learning is stuff about other cultures, and how to cook that kind of food.”
Despite the upcoming challenges of pursuing further education in culinary, these students had a jam-packed day full of new flavors and tons of new knowledge.
“We got to see a wide variety of different types of stands with different foods,” senior Yuliza Ramirez said. “We also got to see different types of potatoes and other vegetables. It was nice.”
When asked to describe the trip in one word, they struggled. But some, knowing they have a long journey ahead of them, filled with challenges and obstacles, still choose to follow their passion of cooking in hopes of one day becoming chefs.
“It’s something that I really look forward to,” Duncan said. “I really want to pursue this part of my life, and I want to become a chef.”
