HTHS culinary students to cook meal for Christmas Open House

Special to The Trussville Tribune

TRUSSVILLE — The old cliché, “too many cooks in the kitchen” does not apply to Hewitt Trussville High School’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts Academy and American Sign Language students.

As part of a distinct partnership, the students will blend hands-on catering experience serving appetizers and desserts they prepared for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) Birmingham Regional Center (BRC) Christmas Open House on Dec. 8 from 2-4 p.m., while learning the menu in American Sign Language. The event is an opportunity to show gratitude to families, clients and supporters while educating the general public on vision and hearing loss.

“Baked-in is a career-based, outreach educational opportunity for Hewitt Trussville’s students, not only preparing gourmet food for 300, but then serving and interacting with individuals who are deaf, blind and/or multidisabled,” Chef Anna Hallman said, who notes that students plan to prepare delicious items such as mini open-face bacon, arugula and tomato sandwiches with remoulade sauce and peppermint meringues filled with chocolate ganache.

Photo by Stephanie Sims

“This event serves as the perfect recipe for successful exploration of future career paths and is truly an extraordinary opportunity for our staff and guests,” BRC Structured Discovery Coordinator Cindy Jones- Yeager said. “As the partnership rolls into a second year, it has expanded to include students who are blind from our Alabama Freedom Center for the Blind – AIDB’s statewide Structured Discovery Program; students who are deaf, hard of hearing and those interested in Deaf Culture; and students who have a desire to serve and learn. I truly hope that this unique collaboration is an inspiration for others in the future.”

Jones-Yeager said the newly launched statewide Structured Discovery program, housed within the AIDB BRC, offers an Independent Living piece similar to Hewitt Trussville’s Culinary Arts program.

The mission of the Hospitality & Culinary Arts Academy is to provide students with a comprehensive education about the culinary arts and hospitality industry. The Academy integrates both academic and technical skills catering to serious students who have an interest in learning about and/or pursuing careers in the culinary arts and hospitality field.

“Students will have prepared items for the Open house and will be required to prepare a meal for 40 people as one of the final components prior to graduation from our program,” Jones-Yeager said. “The Alabama Freedom Center for the Blind has the same high expectations for our students as does Hewitt Trussville. We do have a few differences, however. All our students are 18 and older, all are blind or have low vision and all complete training while wearing sleep shades – including Braille, Assistive Technology, Orientation and Mobility, Home Management and eventually, Wood Shop – which I think gives food for thought for the five students currently participating and the five additional students expected after the New Year – and hopefully a belief in and a taste for independence.”

Since the Academy is a two-year program and space is limited, preference is given to those who wish to make a commitment to the two-year program and join the most exciting and fastest growing industry in the nation. Academy completers are eligible for articulated college credit and there are several generous scholarships available to assist graduates in their pursuit of higher education and career advancement.