Employers crave applicants with broad palates.
Thanks to the opportunity for work-based learning at the Lowndes County School District’s Career Technology Center, Jonathon Jennings, Gibson Cooke, David Akwaowo and John Beatty have resumes bursting with flavor.
In fact, the experience the students gained in three years in the CTC’s Culinary Arts program has set them up to do just about anything, including prepare first-class meals.
“They’ve developed essential life and career skills, such as time management, teamwork, adaptability and communication under pressure,” said Chef Victoria Richardson, the culinary arts instructor at the CTC. “Having jobs in food service builds on those lessons in powerful ways. The industry teaches resilience. Things move fast, and problems have to be solved in real-time. It also fosters accountability; whether plating dishes or serving guests, students quickly learn their actions directly impact the customer experience.”
Work-based learning is an educational approach that provides students with learning experiences in a work-place setting. Culinary arts and welding students at the CTC took advantage of opportunities to gain that experience this school year, while year three health science students had an opportunity to go through Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification at Aurora Health & Rehabilitation in Columbus.
Richardson said year three culinary arts students receive significant hands-on experience in back-of- and front-of-house roles in their jobs. She said that work provides an opportunity to learn more than just how to cook, and that those skills are transferable to any career. She also said food service work gives students a chance to develop emotional intelligence.
“Learning to work with a wide variety of people and respond to customer needs with professionalism builds empathy and maturity,” Richardson said.
Jennings, who received the Director’s Award at the CTC’s Awards Day, works for Bridgett Harding at Harding Catering. He started before Thanksgiving break and worked 12-hour shifts – usually 30 to 40 hours a week.
“I don’t think I would have been able to handle as much as I could have handled right off the bat if I didn’t have kitchen experience,” Jennings said. “I got hit with real-life expectations my first day working there. On top of that, it can get super busy. You can go from doing nothing to having to pack everything up and set it up and then you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It’s something.”
Jennings will continue on the culinary arts path at Mississippi University for Women.
Cooke has worked for nearly a year at Little Dooey’s on Highway 45 in Columbus. She, too, has worked in a variety of roles in the front and the back of the restaurant. She said each position has prepared her for her next step, even though she is considering pursuing a career in painting.
“It has taught me a lot more about time management and how quickly I need to do things,” Cooke said. “I was good at managing my time before I started taking classes at the CTC, but it taught me a lot more about it.”
Akwaowo entered the program with a background in cooking because his father is in the restaurant business. He said he wasn’t sure if he would enjoy the program, but that he liked it early in his first year and opted to complete the course. Along the way, Akwaowo has worked in Columbus at The Grill and Chick-fil-A, where he has been working for the past three months.
“Working in the kitchen with my dad, I used to try to get everything out as quick as possible,” said Akwaowo, who is going to study law at the University of Mississippi. He said he may look for work in catering in the Oxford area while he is in school. “I learned you can’t control what your co-workers do. Sometimes the front of the house wants the food now and if I am in the back of the house and I have food in the fryer, it is going to take three minutes. Someone from the front of the house will come back 30 seconds later and ask, ‘Do you have nuggets?’ I will tell them, ‘No’. You have to learn patience because the time is going to come anyway, so there is no need to stress about it.”
Beatty has worked catering events and at Mulligan’s Restaurant and Grille at Lion Hills Center in Columbus. He said the CTC’s culinary arts program has been better than he expected because it has been a fun environment and that he enjoys working with Richardson.
Beatty worked at The Grill prior to Lion Hills. He said his current position – where he works as a dishwasher and as a line cook – has taught him how to manage his time and adjust when things get busy. He plans to go into business administration and take online classes at East Mississippi Community College while he continues to work. Beatty envisions a career in finance or real estate, or he may return to the food business, possibly catering.
Regardless of which route he takes, Beatty encourages students in the district to try any program at the CTC.
“If you think you’re going to like it, come try it,” Beatty said. “After two weeks, you’re going to be in your work area. Whether it is culinary, nursing, cosmetology, welding, engineering, you have an opportunity to see if you will really like it. I never thought I would like culinary this much, but here I am doing year three.”
The success of students like Jennings, Cooke, Akwaowo and Beatty shows career and technical education at the Lowndes County Career Technology Center is more than just a class – it’s a launchpad. Through work-based learning, students develop real-world skills, confidence and a clearer understanding of their futures. Whether they stay in the kitchen or take their talents elsewhere, they leave with more than just recipes in their back pocket – they carry with them the grit, adaptability and professionalism that will serve them in any career.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
