Culinary Arts students at Bay Port High School have had a unique opportunity to learn professional culinary skills through a partnership with Sergeant Joseph Lach, a chef in the United States Army.
The partnership was coordinated by Bay Port instructor Betsy Ferrebee, who invited Sergeant Lach to join her class after meeting him during a recruiting visit.
Sergeant Lach has joined the Professional Culinary class to share his experiences as a chef in the military. In addition to discussing career opportunities, he has assisted Ms. Ferrebee with teaching techniques during labs, including knife skills, a class on sauces, and the coordination of an MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) cooking challenge.
The MRE challenge was both interesting and educational for the Bay Port culinary students. Each student team was provided with two MREs — self-contained, pre-packaged meals designed for military personnel during field operations — and challenged to prepare and present a meal to a panel of four judges. Meals were judged on presentation, taste, creativity in using the MRE ingredients, and the timing and temperature of the final product.
Some of the MREs included fettuccine alfredo, pizza, Spanish chicken and rice, and beef chili macaroni. One of the most creative dishes involved transforming an MRE into a fruit pie. The winning student group used an applesauce packet, fruit drink mix, crackers, and bread to create a crust and pie filling, which they then baked. The final product was both delicious and creatively designed.
When asked about the value of the partnership between Bay Port Culinary Arts and the U.S. Army, Betsy Ferrebee said, “The value of this partnership has been for the students to see that the military isn’t this singular entity. The jobs include a wide variety of roles that we see in everyday life — including culinary careers.”
