“Organized chaos” is how culinary teacher, Miss Randy Colin, describes Advanced Culinary. Managing 16 students and using a hot stove and oven can be a challenge for most other people, but for Randy, that’s where she thrives.

Towards the beginning of the school year, students pick groups of four and are assigned colors, in which they are handed various unique recipes to craft. For this recipe, students were tasked to prepare a dish consisting of stuffed chicken and rich veloute sauce.

In order to have a successful dish, effective preparation and communication skills are crucial. Every student is bound to make mistakes.

Randy adds, “You can always add ingredients, but you can’t take them out.” As with every class, comes difficulties.

Junior Erva Ozhan says, “The hardest part of the class is preparing the food.” Other students also stated that cleaning up after preparing a dish is one of the most difficult parts about the cooking process.

Sophomore Alissa Parry says, “I took culinary last year so I wanted to take it again.” Parry also mentions that she is very interested in culinary, a career she wants to pursue after high school.

Some dishes hold a special place in the hearts of students for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s a family dish, ethnic food, or just something that brings back memories, a dish is more than just a recipe. Ozhan says that she personally resonates with a dish that was prepared at the beginning of the school year, fettuccine alfredo. She says that it is her favorite dish because it connects to her Italian roots.

Students in each group are assigned roles, which they alternate everytime they make a new dish. Some roles are more challenging than others. Roles such as head chef can be more challenging, especially working with raw meats and making sure the recipe is correct.

Every culinary group functions together as a whole. Junior Tommy Mahon states, “I guess the real Culinary was the friends we made along the way.”