Patriot Culinary Students Share Goals, Events, Food with Media

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Patriot High School held a Café Synergy Media Day Oct. 2 in which their teacher invited representatives of local media outlets to taste their food and speak with students and recent alumni.

The event highlighted how the culinary program at Patriot has not only encouraged students of the program to pursue their interests in cooking but has also guided them towards a promising future in the food service industry.

The Students

Pamela Weinbender, 2014 alumnus, will be going off to the Culinary Institute of Virginia in Norfolk at the end of October. Weinbender graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School but has attended the culinary program at Patriot as a transfer student since her junior year. Weinbender is focusing on her culinary skills that she believes will evolve one day into a profession and would like to specialize in baking.

Senior Pam Credo is considering attending a culinary program after being discovered by a visiting chef while working at her part-time job at Jiffy Lube Live.

“He really wants me to pursue it. He wants me to go to Stratford University and work for him," Credo said.

Senior Myles Carrick also plans to further his culinary education. He would like to attend the renowned culinary and food-service university Johnson and Wales in Charlottesville, Virginia. Although Carrick is also an accomplished student musician, he said the culinary arts fulfill his desire to be both scientific and creative.

“Someone once told me: you do not become a chef until you no longer need a recipe,” Carrick said.

Molly Mangan, Battlefield High School class of 2014 graduate, is a first-year student at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Poughkeepsie, New York. Mangan said Patriot’s program provided for her a sense of professionalism that many of her peers do not have.

“I do not get as stressed as my fellow college students,” she said.

Additionally, Mangan earned a partial scholarship to the CIA for graduating from the Patriot Culinary Program.

Meanwhile Adrian “A.J.” Harris plans to open his own tapas restaurant after earning a degree in culinary arts and management; classmate Austin Jewett is trying to decide between his love of reading and writing and his love of cooking. He thinks he may obtain an English degree while continuing to cook for pleasure or semi-professionally.

The Events

Culinary teacher Chef Emily Stevenson organized several opportunities to help her students obtain experience, help prepare them to become professional chefs and reach out to the community.

In years past, they have taken their annual field trip to the Culinary Institute of America. However, this year, they are heading south instead.

The big event will take place at Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida. The "Cook Around the World" event will allow Patriot culinary students the opportunity meet and cook with celebrity chef Curtis Aikens. In addition, they will receive hands-on instruction from the University of Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando and can earn scholarships to the school.

According to Stevenson, approximately 40 students plan on attending the field trip even though it coincides with prom weekend. She would like to make it as affordable as possible for students. The full cost of the trip is now $900 for students. However, she hopes through fundraisers and donations, many students can go for free, or at the very least, they can reduce the cost per student. She is currently seeking corporate sponsorships.*

The field trip is not the only event in which the culinary students participate. Last year, they attended World Food Day at Pennington Traditional School where they cooked food from around the world for the elementary students there.

Additionally, since the opening of the school, they have invited Superintendent Steven L. Walts and Prince William School Board members to visit the culinary program for annual luncheons.

“It’s always a lot of fun when we have Dr. Walts here,” she said. “He’s a big supporter [of our program.]”

The culinary students also reach out to students and staff at Patriot. Although they are not allowed to compete with the cafeteria, they can open their café synergy to faculty once a week. Additionally, they sell stacked Doritos to classmates after school. These are bags of Doritos with fresh taco ingredients piled on top.

For Patriot’s Homecoming on Oct. 17, they will be selling pulled-pork and chicken BBQ along with vendors from “Taste of the Town," outside near the football field. Money raised by the culinary art students will help fund their trip to Epcot.

The Food

Along with the standout students and the opportunities the program offers, there is no denying the quality of the food. As they say, “the proof is in the pudding.”

The luncheon started out with one of Dr. Walt’s favorite dishes, Bang, Bang Shrimp and Chicken. It was delicious, crispy and tangy.

Second course was falafel on homemade pita bread with tzatziki sauce. The pita was warm and fluffy, and the tzatziki sauce tasted fresh and zesty.

Last but not least, was the spice cake with homemade pumpkin icing and homemade whip-cream on top. It was the perfect balance of sugar and spice!

The students, alumni and reporters all had a good time.

*If you can support the culinary program's trip to Epcot, please contact Emily Stevenson at steveneb@pwc.edu.

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