A recent explosion in fine dining is starting to put Paso Robles on the culinary map, but the some of the city’s most surprising gastronomic achievements are being dished up by teenagers.

Located in a state of the art building complete with working kitchen, the Paso Robles High School Culinary Arts Academy bears little resemblance to home economics programs of the past. Instead, this vocational program models to its students the real life intensity of the restaurant industry and teaches them organization, regimentation and initiative alongside their cooking skills.

“This is a training ground for them to make their mistakes here and for me to put them on the right track, I think,” said Phillip Riccomini, executive chef and academic director. “In that particular case, food just happens to be the medium. It is a working skill. It is a life skill. It is teaching them how to work.”

With such a comprehensive program and extensive facilities at their behest, the high school students’ quick fire but thorough induction into the fast-paced world of cuisine helps to endow them with skills useful in the professional world — no matter what direction they choose to go in.

“Even though we call it is a classroom it is not — it is a working kitchen,” said Rod Blackner, Paso Robles food service director. “They are learning working skills and they are learning how to assimilate into a working environment. I just see huge growth in that because they learn how to work and it is not just here — they are fundamentals [the students] will use no matter what careers they pick.”

Built in 1999, the Culinary Arts Academy and its massive kitchen are traditionally buzzing with students, both at the high school and college level, from sun-up to sundown. While enrollment varies from semester to semester, currently there are approximately 50 high school students taking advantage of the program and another 38 college students who attend separate classes, Blackner reported. The PRHS Culinary Arts Academy is a nationally certified educational program under the requirements of the American Culinary Federation and is the fastest growing vocational program in the Santa Lucia Regional Occupational Program, according to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District’s fact book.

At the high school level, both Blackner and Riccomini noted that there are few other sites in the entire western United States that could boast such a unique, real life program or such extensive facilities.

“I haven’t seen anything like it,” Blackner said.

The program, which is open to juniors and seniors, begins by teaching fundamental skills and builds in complexity and technique over the course of four semesters. Students not only learn by instruction, but also by doing. The Academy Café, which is open Tuesday through Friday for breakfast and lunch, is operated by students under the watchful eye of Riccomini. Students not only cook, but also spend time learning customer service by waiting tables. On average, the restaurant serves 40 customers a day with student-made meals that are easily one of the best values in town — the average diner ticket is under $10.

And the food served up by students is far more complex than the hot dog and spaghetti fare that much of the public might erroneously expect out of teenagers in training. By contrast, the lunch menu offers a diverse mix of culinary styles. Patrons can opt for the classically comforting — such as the grilled marinated turkey breast sandwich on homemade cranberry walnut bread with fig butter, served with orange and red onion compote and the diner’s choice of fries, fruit, onion rings or tossed salad for just $5.50 —choose a more contemporary dish — like the Stuffed Portabella Mushroom, filled with chicken, Swiss cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, bound with egg and served on top of a bed of sautéed soy beans for only $6 — or treat the taste buds to cultural favorites — such as the Mediterranean penne pasta, topped with Kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, capers, tomatoes and parmesan cheese for a mere $5.75.

“As far as I am concerned, this is as complex a menu as they will find on any menu downtown,” Riccomini said, adding that students make everything from scratch. “They are truly learning the industry.”

Moreover, students at the Culinary Arts Academy bone up on knife skills by preparing food for students in the PRJUSD and perfect techniques by catering for crowds of between 150 and 200. More complex catering menus have included elements like lobster, prime rib and salmon, Riccomini said.

“We can pretty much do it all, but it is all done through the kids’ hands,” he said. “I cook with my mouth and make them do it.”

Such a culinary feat by high school junior and seniors is even more impressive with the knowledge that most students initially come into the program with what Riccomini calls a “burger and taco mentality.”

“It is up to us to teach them that there is more to cooking than just the fast food and they can make it from scratch,” he said.

The class can be demanding, covering industry standards and working on bulk kitchen tasks, as well as teaching teamwork, organization and time management.

“A lot of them, when they first originally took this, they thought it was going to be an easy A and they found out in a hurry that that’s not how chef wants to teach the class,” Blackner said. “Our goal in the beginning in this course was to get them ready for the job market, number one.”

With passion, desire, initiative, the high school students will learn what they need to go into any mid-range level, cooking establishment right out of high school, Blackner said.

Like most students, high school seniors and two-year veterans of the program, Jeremie Dyer and Krissie Stieg, had a fairly limited knowledge of culinary skill before their tenure at the Culinary Arts Academy.

“My sister took this class and she told me that it was really fun and gave her really good experience,” Dyer said of why he joined the class. “She took a lot from it and I wanted to experience it, too.”

Stieg, on the other had, joined the class to develop a fondness she harbors for baking. Both said they learned more than they initially thought they would.

“I have a lot of patience for it,” Stieg said of qualities that she developed from the Academy.

“I think I have learned a lot of responsibility; you have got to just trust other people a lot,” Dyer said.

And though the kitchen can be hectic and the atmosphere intense, the students said there is something rewarding about putting out the final product to be served.

“I just think that you are working in the kitchen and you are making other people’s food and making them feel good,” said Dyer, who has aspirations to be a chef. “I think that is really rewarding.”

In its 10-year history, the Culinary Arts Academy has a history of churning out successful professionals. Riccomini and Blackner recalled students who went on to culinary institutions, worked in local restaurants, won national cooking competitions and became head chefs.

“You wouldn’t believe how many former students we have got throughout the county now,” Riccomini said.

Still, no matter the achievement, Blackner and Riccomini are always looking for more ways to improve the program and challenge the students.

“We know we can always be better and better and better,” Riccomini said.

For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.paso schools.org or call 237-3346.





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