Courtesy of SWCSD Communications
While many schools encourage students to take ownership of their education, the culinary program at South-Western Career Academy takes things a step further. At the Academy Grill, students take on management of the restaurant with real agency and responsibility.
From recipes to décor, students in the program have full authority to make choices while acquiring valuable hands-on experience in the restaurant’s daily operation, customer service and food preparation.
For senior Estrella Reyna, the grill offers an opportunity to pursue her passion for cooking and baking, which traces back to her childhood love for flan and her mother’s cooking.
“My mother used to bake when she lived in Mexico, and she’d come over from the border and show us her pictures of what she baked and who she made it for,” Reyna says. “That’s how I was like, ‘OK, I love cooking.’ I love giving people food and seeing their faces light up when they eat it.”
At the Academy Grill, where she works as a line cook and pastry chef, Reyna says the familial feeling in the kitchen helps motivate her to continue.
“The atmosphere here is way more different than in our home schools; it’s a much safer place,” she says. “Everyone is open-minded. Everyone accepts you for who you are. You are not rejected for anything that you do. Your culture is accepted, too.”
The Academy Grill has helped Reyna reach new heights in her culinary abilities, but it’s also helped her to more generally find her voice.
“I’m usually a follower,” she says. “I was really shy and anxious when I came into this program. But now I have grown leadership skills that helped me evaluate people and who to choose for my groups.”
Senior Lajuana McCarty, a hospitality program student who works at the grill as a server, expediter and food runner, believes the experience has similarly helped to grow her confidence
and problem-solving skills.
Like Reyna, McCarty was inspired by her mother to take an interest in hospitality.
“When I was, like, really young, my mom would always put on these little events for around the house with family,” McCarty says. “She would be like, ‘Hey, Lajuana, how do you think this table setup looks? Where do you think this little thing should go?’ And since then, I’ve always liked putting together events and working with people.”
At the Academy Grill, McCarty has found a supportive environment where peers and instructors are ready to help in challenging times.
That’s something Executive Chef Chris Wright has promoted in his five years with the program.
Wright – who’s worked in the restaurant industry for more than 30 years serving celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Tommy Lee Jones, the Fugees and Tiger Woods – believes in the power of a student-led business.
The program curriculum includes teaching delegation, de-escalation and how to more effectively communicate with customers and colleagues.
“If you’re going to lead people, like a boss or an owner, your decisions directly affect everyone that works with you, it affects your guests,” Wright says. “We get them that ownership, and we teach them how to make those right decisions, how to look at all the information before they make a decision.”
The goal is to prepare students for prosperous careers in food and hospitality industries. Reyna plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry arts and eventually aims to open her own baking business. McCarty hopes to continue advancing her knowledge through another hospitality program after graduation.
Mariah Muhammad is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
