How the Closure of the Kitchen Has Affected Our Education, by Paolo Mann Perkin

 Please enjoy this article by a student in DMHS's "Introduction to Journalism" class.

“Having the kitchen closed has caused a huge amount of upset to the DMHS culinary program and to me,” says DMHS culinary teacher Anders Benson.

The closure of the kitchen due to a pipe bursting during cold weather has significantly affected our culinary class. The kitchen is a big part of the culinary program where students can experience hands-on learning, cooking, and learning practical skills that cannot be replicated in a normal classroom or online. Therefore, the closure of the kitchen has posed a significant challenge to the program. Culinary skills are an important aspect for your adult life in order to properly take care of yourself, however these are hindered with the kitchen being closed.

Firstly, the closure of the kitchen has affected the practical aspect of our culinary education. The hands-on experience in the kitchen is essential in developing our culinary skills and techniques, and this aspect of our education has been severely impacted. “My favorite part about culinary is the cooking,” says student Cristian Vigil. The kitchen provides an environment for students to practice and master their culinary skills, and without access to a kitchen, students are unable to refine their cooking skills and techniques.This has led to a decrease in the quality of our culinary education and students may be less prepared for future employment opportunities. Secondly, the kitchen closure has affected our ability to learn about and experiment with new ingredients and cooking techniques. In culinary education, it is essential to learn about new ingredients and techniques that are constantly emerging in the culinary world. Without access to the kitchen, students are unable to experiment with new ingredients and cooking techniques. This has prevented students from expanding their culinary knowledge and creativity. “I think it impacted [our learning] in a negative way because we couldn’t cook which is mostly everyone's favorite part about culinary,” Cristian says.

Thirdly, the closure of the kitchen has affected the social aspect of our culinary education. The kitchen is a place where students come together, work in teams when cooking, and develop a sense of community. The closure of the kitchen has resulted in a lack of social interaction and has prevented students from building relationships with their peers and instructors through cooking. This has made it difficult for students to develop collaborative skills needed to succeed in the culinary industry.
Lastly, the kitchen closure has affected the assessment of our culinary skills. In culinary education, assessments are usually based on practical skills and techniques developed in the kitchen. Without access to the kitchen, it's difficult to see how a student has grown in their culinary skills, as it may be limited written assignments, presentations, and tests, rather than an actual hands-on presentation of your skills. “Being forced to learn a skill in an environment that isn't meant for that means that we are limited in what we can accomplish; we didn't have an oven, proper dish sink, all of our tools/equipment, and [we had] enough mice to risk our health/safety,” Anders says.

        As the kitchen reopens, both staff and students are excited to get back into cooking and working with hands-on materials. “I feel like the fun has been reintroduced into the class since the kitchen has reopened,” Cristian says. Today, students were excited to make dough for conchas, as well as planning out the necessary steps to make churros, tacos, and more. With the kitchen reopened, we will soon be able to cook as a community again.

Paolo Mann Perkin is a 9th grader at DMHS. He is totally tubular when it comes to wrestling, writing, and video games.