With the ‘25-’26 school year approaching the end, various classes have begun conversations about their upcoming and final projects. Throughout the year, culinary students have taken-on a variety of projects including their pastry unit, pie unit, seafood unit, as well as learning how to properly fabricate a whole chicken.
Culinary students at AGHS have been busy all year with constant new projects and catering for local events such as the annual CTE Banquet.
However, their culinary teacher, Chef Amber Russell, always finds time to fit in fun projects for her students, whether that’s to use leftover ingredients or to fit in with the current unit.
“It’s hard [to balance everything]. [Currently,] we’re in our Garde Manger and cheese unit but students want to make ice cream,” Russell said. “So, I postpone the due dates for what’s more pertinent to our time schedule. When we have free cooking days we do projects students want to make that are not necessarily part of the curriculum.”
Students’ most recent unit was their cake unit. Each team was asked to create one cake. There was no guidelines on flavor or filling, although students were encouraged to practice their piping skills when decorating their cake.
In addition to students’ various cooking and baking units, they are also able to explore career opportunities in the restaurant industry. In the fall of ‘25, students met with Luis Arismendi, a manager from Firestone Walker Brewing Co., who gave a lesson on building a resumé and approaching the interview process.
Students in the culinary pathway also get to cook with Chef Douglas MacMillan, owner of local restaurants: Ada’s Fish House, Rosa’s Italian Restaurant, and Vista Steak and Seafood.
MacMillan has cooked with students throughout the year, teaching students new and complex recipes, such as how to fillet a fish and cook risotto.
When students aren’t catering for an event or cooking with MacMillan, they experiment with recipes during a unit or cook past recipes.
The Culinary CTE pathway focuses on hands-on learning. Though that is not to say there isn’t textbook work involved in the class. Being aware of various cooking terms and safety rules is vital to having a successful and enjoyable time in the kitchen.
Culinary is an impacted class at AGHS as well as a dual enrollment class with Cuesta Community College. If students are interested in the culinary arts or in improving their cooking and baking skills, they should reach out to their school counselor for enrollment information.
