AMANDA SE As you walk into the culinary terrier café you are immediately aware of the students hard at work in the kitchen, you hear the clatter of dishes as students skillfully move around the kitchen as they start prepping for the upcoming lunch rush consisting of preparing several orders for both the faculty and student body. Senior Amanda Serrano has always had a passion for culinary and has been in culinary since her freshman year. While she admits that she originally joined culinary thinking it would be like how it’s portrayed in movies and tv shows, with students working at stations baking and decorating cakes and deserts, she soon realized there was more to it and fell in love with the class. Serrano has done the basics such as prepping vegetables and forming burgers upon receiving her ServSafe. Having her national registry certification moved her to do bigger tasks such as learning the menu and being part of the group that makes lunch for students and faculty. Serrano is a station lead and line cook on the salad side, and while it may not sound like much it’s just as important as any other job within the kitchen. As a station lead and line cook, she’s in charge of salads, quesadillas, Cuban sandwiches, soups, and several other items found on the lunch menu. Serrano says that when working in the kitchen no job is small as everyone has a role to play. Having Culinary twice a day during 4th and 5th period means that Serrano gets lots done and is consistently honing her culinary skills. Among Serranos many tasks include finishing student orders, cleaning equipment and dishes, as well as cleaning up the kitchen. Serrano feels that many people don’t realize how similar the terrier cafe is to other restaurants as the only difference between the two is that the Terrier café doesn’t offer a dine-in option like other restaurants. However, Serrano’s involvement in culinary doesn’t end with her participation as a member of the HHS Culinary program. Serrano also has a job at the restaurant Little Greek and while she never believed that she could love working in the food industry, she has come to love the fast-paced and chaotic environment and hard work that’s required to succeed in the food industry. Serrano attributes her ability to easily get a job within the food industry to her experience and certifications gained throughout her time in culinary as it helped her learn the basics such as kitchen protocols, correct food temperatures, and overall kitchen management tactics needed to run an efficient kitchen. While Serrano loves being part of the culinary problem and loves her job at Little Greek she said, “The food industry certainly isn’t for everyone it takes dedication hard-work and patience to work in such a difficult field but the satisfaction comes from seeing customers enjoy the food you prepared which makes it all worth it.” !"#$%&'%&()%*++&,#'-./#. 01#"#&'%&2)"1+3&2#$+.# !"""""#$%"&%'"(")*+,-"./01%2"3435""
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