Diana Coulter’s catering class at Montezuma-Cortez high school is buzzing with excitement as enthusiastic students mix, blend, bake, and dream up recipes for the holiday season.
But don’t call it Home Economics, or you’ll get an earful.
“That is an outdated term,” Coulter informs. “It is from a time when there was a gender-specific bias that cooking and home duties were for girls only.”
Indeed, her class takes more of a professional culinary approach, teaching a trade that combines business with the art of food preparation. Guys and gals work side by side in a well-equipped kitchen whipping up recipes served to school staff and the community.
“We like that we can bring quality food to people,” said student Daxon Hackett. “We’ve been providing meals for administration meetings, and they really love it.”
This year, the catering class organized a Thanksgiving Take and Bake, selling meals for school staff to take home, thaw, and warm up for Thanksgiving.
“We sold out, so it was a great success. We had about 15 participants order 10 meals and 17 deserts,” Coulter said. “It is also a fundraiser for our class budget.”
Ordered entrees and deserts must be picked up by today, Nov. 26, from the school.
Students mastered several original recipes for the take and bake, including Sweet Potato Manicotti, a delicious mixture of cottage cheese, sweet potato, and chives stuffed into a manicotti shell tipped with Parmesan cheese. They also created a butternut squash macaroni, and a pumpkin pizza that combines bacon, goat cheese, and herbs and spices in a puree base.
Desserts included a pumpkin mousse pie, a pumpkin cheesecake and an apple crisp.
“It is a good class because you get to cook everyday,” chimes student Kallie Maestas. “My whole family loves to cook, and I’ve introduced them to our butternut squash macaroni.”
Junior Shayne McCaw loves the hands on approach of the class and the business experience.
“We make the recipes, perfecting them if it doesn’t taste right, then sell it,” he said.
McCaw has plans to go to culinary school and then open up a restaurant in the Denver area.
“It’s nice to see people appreciate good food,” he said.
His future business partner, Chris Dillashaw, said they have not set on a restaurant name yet, but the dream is still early.
“I love the creative aspects and freedom of the culinary arts,” Dillashaw said. “It is completely up to you what to put on the menu. We have gotten a lot better, thanks to this class. And we learned a lot of safety skills.”
Team work and socialization is another cooking lesson, whether at home or in a commercial kitchen, Coulter said.
“The kids learn how to organize to put together a good-size menu for our customers,” she said. “They all get a long well and are all friends, learning how to take criticism and move on.”
The class makes burritos they sell to students, and their food has become a hit with administration officials, w ho call on the class to serve at their meetings.
“The teachers and staff tell us they really love the food we make for them,” McCaw said. “We’re cooking the meal for the administration’s Christmas party.”
