{"id":34,"date":"2023-09-08T21:07:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T21:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/"},"modified":"2023-10-16T20:06:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T20:06:09","slug":"culinary-major-blends-college-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Culinary major blends college and community"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Maggie White decided it was time to pursue her dream career, San Jacinto College\u2019s culinary arts program seemed like the perfect place to start.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have always wanted to work in the culinary field,\u201d said White, a cosmetics account executive. \u201cMy grandmother and aunt ran small restaurants and cooked while I was growing up. It\u2019s a family thing and makes me feel connected to them. I love feeding people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

White toured a couple of other schools and chose San Jac because she believes \u201cthe education is just as good for a fraction of the cost.\u201d She chose to specialize in pastries \u2014 an extension of her love for beauty, fashion, and all things esthetically pleasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image

(Photo courtesy of Maggie White)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Opportunities galore<\/span><\/h3>\n

White has found the hands-on training at the North Campus valuable since it prepares her for work in a professional kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChef [Andrea] Huerta does this class where you\u2019re a sous chef for a day, and you have to plan the menu in advance, set up your teams, and your vision,\u201d she said. \u201cYou get to direct and manage the process, then present it. This was my favorite class because it was like managing a kitchen in real life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The program includes concepts of cake decorating, plated desserts, chocolates and confections, supervision, sanitation, and safety. Pastry students also work with culinary classes, contributing treats for the on-campus bistro and College events.<\/span><\/p>\n

In her final class, Quantity Bakeshop Production, White will help create gingerbread houses for display in the lobby of the North Campus Cosmetology and Culinary Center just before Christmas. Then the student-designed gingerbread village will go to the MD Anderson children\u2019s ward as part of a fundraiser, connecting their work with the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Belong Kitchen<\/span><\/h3>\n

White finds meaning in community involvement and accepted the opportunity to volunteer with Belong Kitchen last winter. The company provides paid employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a supportive environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful program,\u201d White said. \u201cA mother started the restaurant so her daughter would have a place to work. I have a 5-year-old son on the spectrum, and I think what they\u2019re doing is amazing. I don\u2019t think there are enough opportunities for adults on the spectrum to be able to get work. Their volunteers help out with the more labor-intensive duties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Belong Kitchen prepares grab-and-go meals. Since White has culinary experience, she got the chance to make cakes. Aside from baking, she assists with labeling products, portioning items for the display case, and cutting up meats.<\/span><\/p>\n

White finds the work very fulfilling for personal and professional reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone who works there is really sweet and close-knit. It\u2019s almost impossible to get a job there because no one leaves, so I feel lucky,\u201d White said. \u201cOne reason I wanted to volunteer with Belong was to have an experience with adults on the spectrum. The experience helps me plan ahead and get ready for when my son is older.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What the future holds<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cChefs Huerta and [Melissa] Menendez have a lot of experience,\u201d White said. \u201cI\u2019m confident applying what they\u2019ve taught me in the field. I\u2019ve done a few freelance gigs, and I felt prepared for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

White will graduate this fall with the pastry chef specialty certificate of technology. She feels it\u2019s important for her son to see her graduate. She plans to start her own small business that encompasses her passion for cooking and events.<\/span><\/p>\n

White envisions establishing a wine bar, providing event rental space, and offering charcuterie and pastries for events, delivery, and grab-and-go options. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about the culinary arts program at <\/span>sanjac.edu\/programs\/areas-of-study\/public-services\/culinary-arts<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Neesha Hosein<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Maggie White decided it was time to pursue her dream career, San Jacinto College\u2019s culinary arts program seemed like the perfect place to start. \u201cI have always wanted to work in the culinary field,\u201d said White, a cosmetics account executive. \u201cMy grandmother and aunt ran small restaurants and cooked while I was growing up…. read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-34","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culinary","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCulinary major blends college and community - Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Culinary major blends college and community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Maggie White decided it was time to pursue her dream career, San Jacinto College\u2019s culinary arts program seemed like the perfect place to start. \u201cI have always wanted to work in the culinary field,\u201d said White, a cosmetics account executive. \u201cMy grandmother and aunt ran small restaurants and cooked while I was growing up.... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-08T21:07:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-16T20:06:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cmorris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cmorris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/\",\"name\":\"Culinary major blends college and community - Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-08T21:07:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-16T20:06:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/7be5bce9c0ff45d685592f0e586086d8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Culinary major blends college and community\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/\",\"name\":\"Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/7be5bce9c0ff45d685592f0e586086d8\",\"name\":\"cmorris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9045624ec36d6a26bc9bf21507c7f4a5c0a976dd9a328cbf036b1eda0be7794?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9045624ec36d6a26bc9bf21507c7f4a5c0a976dd9a328cbf036b1eda0be7794?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cmorris\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/author\/cmorris\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Culinary major blends college and community - Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Culinary major blends college and community","og_description":"When Maggie White decided it was time to pursue her dream career, San Jacinto College\u2019s culinary arts program seemed like the perfect place to start. \u201cI have always wanted to work in the culinary field,\u201d said White, a cosmetics account executive. \u201cMy grandmother and aunt ran small restaurants and cooked while I was growing up.... read more","og_url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/","og_site_name":"Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3","article_published_time":"2023-09-08T21:07:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-16T20:06:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cmorris","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cmorris","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/","name":"Culinary major blends college and community - Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg","datePublished":"2023-09-08T21:07:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-16T20:06:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/7be5bce9c0ff45d685592f0e586086d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/10\/culinary_800.jpg","width":800,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/culinary-major-blends-college-and-community\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Culinary major blends college and community"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/","name":"Fall 2023, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 3","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/7be5bce9c0ff45d685592f0e586086d8","name":"cmorris","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9045624ec36d6a26bc9bf21507c7f4a5c0a976dd9a328cbf036b1eda0be7794?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9045624ec36d6a26bc9bf21507c7f4a5c0a976dd9a328cbf036b1eda0be7794?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cmorris"},"url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/author\/cmorris\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34\/revisions\/55"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2023-volume-4-issue-3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=34"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}