Recent Beaufort High School graduates used academic program to jump-start their ... culinary careers

Published Wed, Mar 26, 2008 12:00 AM

By MARK ALLWOOD
mallwood@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5538

Like countless other sophomores, Joanna Miller had no idea what she wanted to do professionally when she graduated from Beaufort High School. That quickly changed once Miller, 18, decided to take a foods elective class taught by Mary Cunningham.

Story Tools

Font Size: A A A

Comment

tool goes here

Also in this section

Food & Friends

The class, ProStart, is a program started by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which encourages high school students to consider careers in the restaurant and food service industry.

"I figured it would be a cool elective to learn how to cook," said Miller, who graduated from Beaufort High in 2007 and is now a student in the baking and pastry program at the Art Institute of Philadelphia's Culinary Arts school.

"I just figured I'd try it, and I ended up liking it. If I hadn't taken that program, then I wouldn't have thought of this career at all."

ProStart ran at Beaufort High for five years before ending two years ago when the school switched to a small-schools model, but Cunningham still teaches foods and nutrition, with the focus switching to healthy eating habits and combating obesity. Cunningham said family and consumer science courses are also offered at Battery Creek High School and the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence.

"I taught them the basics in foods one and foods two, and then when they took foods three, I brought in some professional chefs to take turns teaching them," Cunningham explained. "We focus so much now on trying to eat healthy foods. I'm not saying we don't bake chocolate chip cookies anymore, but now we look at ways to give healthy alternatives. It's all about moderation, and I don't allow them to fry foods."

ENTERING THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

The guest chefs that took part in ProStart included Steve Brown, Biff Cappelman, Jim Callahan and Ervena Faulkner. Cunningham recalled a student who dumped all of the ingredients for pancake mix into a bowl and didn't read the instructions, but the student has since learned how to follow recipe directions.

As many as 25 of her former students, like Miller, have began careers in the food service industry after ProStart, which included internships at local restaurants.

"They've all taken foods classes here at Beaufort High, and they've gone on to pursue that as a major or as a career," said Cunningham. "I still get students jobs in restaurants. Pizza Inn opened up here a few months ago and came in and hired eight of my students right off the bat."

Before Miller moved to Philadelphia, where her 27-year-old sister Janell lives, she worked as a cook in the kitchen at Berry Island Cafe on Lady's Island. She was able to test out of one of her classes at the Art Institute because of her involvement in ProStart.

"She sent me a picture of her in her uniform from the institute," said Cunningham. "She's so excited. It's nice. I just get tickled, because I feel like they cook much better than I do, but that I was the one who introduced them to wanting to do it."

Miller is scheduled to graduate from the Art Institute of Philadelphia in December 2009, and she has decided to focus on pastry. Her sister works at the city's Striped Bass restaurant, and Miller has been able to work with and learn from the restaurant's pastry chef. Miller said Cunningham's class also touched on the business end of the food service industry.

"She taught us management skills and how to run your own business, and that's kind of what I want to do," said Miller. "I want to come back to Beaufort and open a bakery."

Jeremy Halker, 20, graduated from Beaufort High in 2005 and was a sous chef and assistant kitchen manager at Panini's Cafe in downtown Beaufort before becoming a line chef at the Dataw Island Club.

Halker was a sauté chef at Panini's, and he specializes in sauté and grilling at the Dataw Island Club.

He said that although he doesn't have plans to attend college, his goal is to remain in the food service industry and possibly open his own restaurant one day. Halker was interested in the food service industry before he became involved in ProStart, but he said the program helped him learn about all aspects of the business.

"This is basically my college, just working and building my resume," said Halker. "(ProStart) helped me get more involved in my career, and learn a lot more before I even got out of high school. I learned a lot about management and sanitation, more than a lot of people would know even coming out of college."

SUCCESS OVERSEAS

Perhaps the most successful of all the ProStart participants is Joe Nierstedt, 23, who graduated Beaufort High in 2003 and from the Charleston campus of Johnson & Wales University last May. He has spent time working at Ollie's Restaurant on Lady's Island and Sea Island Wine and Provisions on Carteret Street, both of which have closed, and Coast Bar and Grill in Charleston. He received a scholarship to Johnson & Wales for his participation in ProStart.

After going to Ireland nearly one year ago and working for six months at the Nuremore Hotel, considered one of the top restaurants in Ireland, Nierstedt began a "work

experience" rotation through three renowned restaurants in England, starting at the Waterside Inn, which has received a top 3 stars in the Michelin Guide, in Bray, just outside of London.

He's currently at Le Manoir, near Oxford, whose chef, Raymond Blanc, is a celebrity chef and the focus of the U.K. reality TV show "The Restaurant."

"The TV cameras are always in the kitchen," said Nierstedt, who is about to complete his rotation when he starts his tenure next week at the Fat Duck, also in Bray.

The Waterside Inn and Le Manoir both specialize in French cuisine, and Nierstedt also has studied pastries and plating, but he said that he doesn't want to focus too much on one category of cooking since he's still early in his career, and there's still so muchto learn.

The Fat Duck has earned 3 stars in the Michelin Guide as well, and the restaurant's chef, Heston Blumenthal, is also a celebrity chef in the U.K. with his own show.

"He's somewhat of a big celebrity, so it's interesting to see that these are celebrity chefs, and that's who I'm working for now," Nierstedt said during a telephone call from England. "People who might not know anything about the restaurant industry, when they ask, 'Where are you working at over here?' I'm like, 'The Fat Duck,' and they instantly know what you're talking about from the television show."

Nierstedt has been in England since October, and although he said he has loved being in Europe and was even offered a job at Le Manoir, he is eager to return to the United States.

He's been sending out resumes to restaurants throughout the U.S. and lists New York City, San Francisco and Las Vegas as top destinations since those are the only American cities with restaurants that have received Michelin stars, although he suspects Chicago will be next.

"I definitely want to stay on this level of restaurants," said Nierstedt.

He also spent two months abroad in college at at-sunrice culinary academy in Singapore and Suan Dusit International Culinary School in Thailand, which he described as "quite an experience" and a "complete 180 of everything" that he was used to.

Like Miller and Halker, he eventually would like to open his own restaurant and be able to work for himself, and he counts ProStart as playing an integral role in his career decisions.

"Ms. Cunningham's food class, the ProStart program and working at the restaurants back in Beaufort, all of those were stepping stones to definitely put me where I'm at today," said Nierstedt. "It's hard work, but I'm proud of everything that I've accomplished. I hope I can keep pushing myself to do better. I don't want to stop, and I want to know as much as I can about food and be a good chef."

Recent Beaufort High School graduates used academic program to jump-start their ... culinary careers