Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts prepares students to practice the managerial, production, and service skills used in food establishments and related food industry occupations such as chef/cook, baker/pastry chef, and hospitality worker.
Students 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. In addition to refining these skills, students will practice serving and dining room management throughout the two-year program. Students engage in real-world experiences by working cooperatively with local business owners and various food establishments in the community. Courses are scheduled in a two-period/double block each year beginning in the 11th grade.
Application Information
Specialty program applications will be accepted November 1, 2024-February 1, 2025.
Visit the Specialty Programs Application Process website to learn more about the application process.
Who can apply?
Tenth grade students who attend one of the following schools:
- Colgan HS
- Forest Park HS
- Freedom HS
- Potomac HS
Learn More About the Culinary Arts Program
Program Information
Transport Program
Students participating in this program will be transported between their base school and their program school for all CTE program classes on a PWCS bus daily, returning in time to ride their regular bus home.
Culinary Arts at PSHS
About our Instructors:
PSHS Culinary students will be taught advanced culinary skills by Chef Evans and Chef Iles 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 Iles brings over 16 years of professional culinary experience to the foods lab at Potomac High School. His areas of expertise are restaurant management, catering, meat fabrication and Asian cuisine.
The classroom approach from both Chefs focus 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.