All day, Foods Teacher Kelli McDonald is surrounded by the sounds of pans sizzling, knives chopping, water running, and students cooking up a storm. Foods, an elective offered year-round to all students, is both a fun elective and an opportunity to learn necessary life skills. McDonald said. 

Foods includes multiple -classes, such as Foods I, Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry, and Creative Cuisines, all aimed toward developing students’ skills in the kitchen, McDonald explained. 

“Cooking is a life skill,” McDonald said. “It [prompts] problem solving, critical thinking skills, and teamwork, which are important skills for anyone.” 

Foods also provides students with the opportunity to explore and develop their culinary skills, senior Sarah Sepahdari said. The Foods I class includes various units, ranging from Kitchen Fundamentals to Nutrition and Wellness, she explained. This helps students find their specific interests and talents in the kitchen.

“We learned about so many types of food, which helped us improve our [skills] in all aspects of cooking,” Sepahdari said.

The class also allowed Sepahdari to delve deeper into an interest she had always had, and challenged her culinary skills, she explained

“I already knew the basics of cooking, but I loved [the class] culinary arts,” Sepahdari said. “One time, we made a five-course meal for [South teachers], and although it was stressful, we worked as a team to get it done.”

The class is an excellent way for students to connect with their peers with their shared passion for culinary arts, junior Aubrey Tirado said. The class helped her interact with others who enjoyed cooking as much as she did, Tirado said.

“The shared experience of preparing meals together [helped] form meaningful connections with my peers,” Tirado said. “My classmates became more than just peers; they became my companions in my culinary journey.”