MCCTC Culinary Arts students put skills to the test

By GRACE WYLER

gwyler@vindy.com

Students in the Culinary Arts program learn what the restaurant industry is all about.

On a typical day at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, heavenly smells waft out of the kitchen, as students deftly stir soups, cut potatoes and take hot apple tarts out of the oven. Some of their peers bustle around the dining room, preparing to open the student-run Oak Room Restaurant.

“It doesn’t even seem like work to me,” Tiffany Rinehart, a 17-year old student said. “It seems like fun. You can express yourself in so many different ways.”

Rinehart is in her second year of the Culinary Arts program at MCCTC. She will earn her high school diploma and certificate achievement in June, and plans to study culinary arts at Akron University next year.

Culinary arts students are trained in a professional kitchen and restaurant, where they learn basic food and restaurant preparation and service, as well as kitchen safety and sanitation. Students also gain experience in customer service by working in the Oak Room, a full-service restaurant that is open to the public.

“I love to see the look on the customer’s face when they get their food,” said Ashley Bilchik, an 18-year-old student from Campbell. “They are shocked and they are happy, because the food is really good.”

Ashley, who started cooking age 8, is a senior in the program. She hopes to continue her culinary studies at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh next year.

Students work under the direction of Matt Putzier, MCCTC’s head chef and culinary arts teacher who goes by the name “Chef.”

The culinary arts program also teaches students overall work ethic and work habits, Putzier said. The culinary arts program at MCCTC requires students to get 400 hours of work experience, including 200 hours of paid employment at a restaurant outside of the school. Students, who are high school juniors and seniors, also do classroom work relating to culinary arts.

“The program gives students the chance to learn the basic skills within an educational environment,” Putzier said. “If they screw up here they don’t get fired, it’s a learning experience.”

Students who complete the two-year culinary arts program are given a certificate of achievement through ProStart, a program sponsored by the National Restaurant Association, in addition to earning high school diploma. Through ProStart, students also earn college course credit for culinary arts.

“The program gives kids a depth of knowledge that prepares them for the work force,” Jacqueline Kuffel, the career development supervisor at MCCTC. “It gives them the opportunity to get real world experience in safe environment.”

Members of the community can enjoy the students’ meals at the Oak Room Restaurant located at MCCTC. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and offers meals starting at $4.50. For information on the restaurant, call 330-729-4000.