Warren Easton High School has opened a new culinary arts program that teaches students the necessary skills to work in a commercial kitchen and prepares them for a career in the culinary arts.

The recent grand opening celebration included a tour of the new kitchen classroom, cooking demonstrations and a sampling of foods prepared by students, and music by the school band and choir.

The culinary arts program is the newest addition to the Hospitality and Tourism discipline of the school’s Career and Technical Education pathways program that helps students gain the knowledge and experience to enter the job market directly after graduation.

The goal is for students to become managers and supervisors in one of the city’s top industries, said Warren Easton Principal and CEO Mervin Jackson.

“We’ve had a hospitality and tourism path here for quite a while, and we partner with many of the hotels in town,” Jackson said. “But we always knew we were missing this important part of the equation, and this closes that gap.”

Jackson said this is the only open-enrollment, three-year culinary program available to high school students in the city, and about 100 students are currently enrolled. Students graduate with a diploma and meaningful industry certifications, including ServSafe, which teaches safe food handling, and ProStart, an industry-supported culinary arts and restaurant management program specifically designed for high school students.

“We’re doing a good job graduating children, but what are we graduating them to?” Jackson asked. “We can’t expect students to be successful after graduation if they don’t have the skills that are in demand.”

Jeremy Ledlow, director of Career Education and External Programs at Warren Easton, runs the Culinary Arts Program. He said the addition of the kitchen classroom is a game changer for the school.

Last year was the program’s first year, and students were bused to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum to use the museum’s kitchen. This year all classes will be on the Warren Easton campus.

Ledlow said establishing the program took several years and included everything from gutting an unused science lab to formulating a budget, locating equipment, hiring a chef and getting accredited by the Louisiana Restaurant Association. The LRA has been instrumental, he said, in helping get the program running, and he credits the organization for most of the equipment donations.

The program follows a curriculum created by the LRA, and a chef teaches the classes, which cover safety skills, knife skills and food sanitation. The kitchen classroom has cooktops, a convection oven, a refrigerator and tables for food preparation.

“We’re not done because we don’t have everything we need,” Ledlow said. “But we’re not going to let anything hold us back because the need is now. We’re going to build as we go.”

In addition to the new culinary curriculum, Ledlow said the school offers numerous additional opportunities through Delgado University and the University of New Orleans, apprenticeships through the LRA and summer programs that build soft skills.

“We are literally putting students in the workforce from our program,” Ledlow said. “That means students are passing their test and getting their work experience hours and they are doing their apprenticeships and partnering with industry.”

Rashad Robertson, 17, a senior in the program, said the new kitchen gives him the opportunity to cook things that he can’t cook at home.

“I started making bread and it came out pretty good,” said Robertson, who made the buns for the sliders that students served at the grand opening festivities.

“I like to get my hands dirty, and baking is a lot of fun,” he added.

Robinson recently made pumpkin pies with handmade crust, and he is currently perfecting a king cake recipe for Mardi Gras. After graduation, he wants to further his career in pastry and eventually open a restaurant.

Caleb Myers, 17, a senior in the program, enjoys cooking almost everything, from vegetables to different cuts of meat. For the grand opening celebration, he made crabcakes with a spicy cream sauce.

“I want to learn a little bit of everything and try everything out to see what I like the most,” said Myers, who learned cooking basics from his mom. “I’ve learned a lot of things here that have made me a better cook.”

After graduation, Meyers said he would like to open a food truck and drive around the country showcasing Louisiana cuisine.

Gabrielle Rios, HR director at Commander’s Palace restaurant and the chairperson for the Warren Easton advisory board, said the board works closely with students by conducting mock interviews, helping with externships and preparing them for what to expect once they graduate.

“We’re passionate about helping students gain real-world skills that give them the opportunities to prepare them for meaningful carers,” Rios said. “I love engaging with the students and watching them grow.”

Rios said she’s looking forward to the school’s Hospitality Fest in the spring which will showcase what the students have learned. The students plan every aspect of the event, from the food to the entertainment, and the proceeds go back into the hospitality and tourism program.

She said students will also have a booth at Audubon Zoo’s Zoo-To-Do fundraiser, which is also in the spring.