Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts prepares students to practice the managerial, production, and service skills used in food establishments and related food industry occupations. Students begin to prepare for occupations in the food service industry, such as chef/cook, baker/pastry chef, and hospitality worker.
Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to plan, select, store, purchase, prepare and serve food and food products; study basic nutrition, sanitation, and food safety; learn the use and care of commercial equipment; and practice the operation of institutional food establishments. Students also have an opportunity to practice serving and dining room management including real-world experiences working cooperatively with various food establishments in the community and local business owners. This two-year program of study begins in 11th grade and includes:
- Nutrition and Wellness
- Introduction to Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts 1
- Culinary Arts 2
Note: Applications for this program are open for rising 11th grade students.
Program Type
Transport Program – Students participating in this program attend all core classes, non-CTE classes, and activities at their base school. A PWCS bus transports students between their base school and the program school daily, returning in time to ride their regular bus home.
Coordinator: Christina Hines
Telephone: 703-441-4200
Email: [email protected]
Information Meetings
November 5, 2025, 6:30 p.m. at Potomac HS
January 14, 2026, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
Attendance Areas
Colgan HS, Forest Park HS, Freedom HS, and Potomac HS
Culinary Arts at PSHS
About our Instructors:
PSHS Culinary students will be taught advanced culinary skills by Chef Evans and Chef LaRochelle using resources such as the textbooks from the Culinary Institute of America and Johnson and Wales and a state-of-the-art commercial cooking lab.
Units of study include exploring the many careers within the food service industry, food safety and sanitation, essential culinary skills, nutrition and meal planning, exploring cultures and their food internationally and regionally, baking skills and economics and logistics of food.
Chef Evans brings over 20 years of Marine Corps culinary experience with expert knowledge in international cuisine. His areas of specialty include catering, southern cuisine, and meat production.
Chef LaRochelle brings over 16 years of industry culinary experience. Her areas of focus include catering, baking and pastry, and a la carte production."
The classroom approach, from both Chefs, focuses on real-world work experience in the food service industry. Students will compete with classmates using the kitchen skills and knowledge learned from this course.
This is a fun and exciting class to be in as well as a very rewarding and enriching career path to choose. If you love working with food and have a passion for creating wonderful meals, then this is the course for you.