Culinary: cooking it up in the kitchen

Chef Mahlstedt getting food ready for the Homecoming dance. (Etienne Romatier / The Puma Prensa)

By Etienne Romatier, Staff Writer

The culinary program at Maria Carrillo High School is one of the most awarded programs the school has to offer. They run a food truck with a rotating menu that is at almost all school events. Menu items include anything from elote focaccia for a starter, to sundaes as dessert, and it is the main part of the program’s fundraising.

Junior Luna Martin says that “culinary has made me learn how to work in groups better than other classes, and it even taught me how to take the lead when necessary.” This isn't an uncommon sentiment, as many if not all people who make it to the Culinary Arts 2 class have been put under intense pressure in the kitchen, forcing them to take the lead at least once or twice.

The culinary program isn’t just cooking in class, though— it ranges from catering events to competitions all throughout the year, which Chef John Mahlstedt hand picks students to go to. Students then go to different types of competitions depending on their talents. These competitions could be anything from baking to salad preparation.

Even during the class time, Mahlstedt teaches the students about all the different skills needed for cooking, ranging anywhere from improvising recipes on their feet to knife skills.The program’s other main activity during class is making food for teachers. Mahlstedt sends out a Google form, and any teachers who want a meal can request either a vegetarian or regular option. This serves as another part of the program’s fundraising, because the teachers pay for their meals. The students then will cook the meals, and deliver them to the teachers.

Mahlstedt teaches the students to rely on their instincts when cooking, because in the end, what one might need in the moment is to be able to whip up something good quickly with what they have on hand. 

Sometimes, the purest form of creativity is in the kitchen because you are making something that will not last, but in the moment, it is amazing, allowing people to let all of their thoughts flow into what they are cooking. And when food is cooked with that level of passion, you can taste it in every bite.

You can take one of three different levels of culinary at Carrillo: Culinary Arts 1, Culinary Arts 2, and Culinary Arts 3 (Hospitality). The first level is for anyone who wants to join and try out the course, offering students introductory skills and basics in the kitchen. Culinary Arts 2 is made up of students that Mahlstedt hand picks based on a display of high level skills. Finally, in Culinary Arts 3, Mahlstedt helps students who are interested in a culinary career to get an internship at a restaurant.

Outside of class, students are subject to many requirements — while it is not homework, per say, students must do a specific amount of volunteer hours, for which they get graded on. In fact, most of a culinary student’s grade comes from those volunteer hours. The majority of what the students do is outside of class, and almost none of what they get graded on is during the school day. This is because they are required to be at most school events, and that is where they will learn the most valuable skills. In the end, if you take a culinary class at Carrillo, volunteering is to be expected so you can share the joy you create in the kitchen with the rest of the world.

There are many reasons why everyone on campus should consider taking culinary courses, whether it's to learn to cook, to learn how to be a better group member, or just to have fun. One thing is certain, you will have fun, if not from the cooking, then from the community.