HOULTON, Maine — On most days Jennifer Potter’s classroom is filled with the scent of baking bread, sweet rolls, chocolate chip muffins and homemade soups. And on Thursdays, there are specialty entrees, gourmet appetizers and desserts like pumpkin pie prepared for the Culinary Arts Take-out and Restaurant.
Potter’s culinary arts students at the Region Two School of Applied Technology learn about all aspects of working in and running a commercial kitchen — meal preparation, sanitation, chef skills, cooking, restaurant equipment and interacting with the public — while serving their practiced creations to the Houlton community.
Students can select a two- or four-year program that begins with baking and cooking standardized recipes like breads, breakfast sandwiches, cookies and cakes for the school store, she said.
In a time when college might be out of the question for many, the culinary arts students are learning a trade and having fun doing it. Several have made it a career, while it prepares others for life and take-away skills and professionalism learned in the program, Potter said.
In addition to courses and daily hands-on experience in short-order cooking, sanitation, safety, hygiene, and menu planning, students plan, coordinate, and cater functions and parties for small and large groups throughout the year.
On Monday, the students catered an event for the Houlton Rotary. Every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon, the restaurant is open for public take-out or dining in.
A week ahead of time, the students plan and put a menu out to the public that usually includes three entrees, a couple of side dishes, a bread product and dessert.
“A lot of local businesses call in and order lunch,” Potter said. “There is curbside pickup, and quite a few ladies come into the program’s dining room and the students serve them.”
This January’s restaurant offered specialties like Tuscan Pork stuffed with spinach, feta and sundried tomatoes for $5.50 and Hawaiian Chicken, as well as more traditional menu items like Shepherd’s Pie and Green Bean Casserole.
The money the students make from their catering and restaurant goes right back into the program for ingredients and other items.
“When they are doing their breads, that supplies them so they don’t have to pay for it and they can take the product home after they bake it,” she said. “We are self-sufficient here.”
To expand her offerings, Potter reached out to the Houlton’s Southside School Afterschool Program, and the third, fourth and fifth grade students have been learning about cooking basics and baking chocolate chip muffins they could take home.
The Wednesday afternoon culinary class has 15 to 20 students and lasts about 90 minutes.
Before COVID-19, Potter had started to work with the Southside after school program, but the pandemic shut them down. In December, they decided to gear it back up again.
The students started with hand sanitizing, how to measure properly, and they made their muffins. They are about to start round two, focused on nutrition, followed by learning to make pizza, Potter said.
“Oh my gosh they love it, they have a ball up here,” she said. “They love to get out of the building and come over here. They are eager to get in the kitchen and get their hands dirty, and they always say they had a wonderful time. “
Additionally, Potter has been working with Maine AG in the Classroom for the last two years.
“They got a grant to bring agriculture into the culinary tech classroom,” Potter said. “It’s a four-part program.”
In the summer they had a special development tour and went to the Maine coast to visit seaweed places, oyster bars, and organic farms. They also toured Aroostook County and did potato farms, and visited Fort Kent to see Bouchard’s Ployes.
“I try to bring a lot of Maine agriculture into the classroom,” she said. “I just got a grant for beef, and I’m hoping to get them to a butcher so they can see how meat is broken down. We made our own apple cider. Hoping to work with our outdoor leadership program this spring to tap some maple trees and make maple syrup.“
