A growing number of business and political leaders say they support considering more than one option to finance construction of a new county hospital. Are you for:
A new addition to the Choctaw Tribal School's Occupational Training Center is making it easier for students in the program to learn the culinary arts.
A full service Warrior Cafe opened at the beginning of the school year and is staffed by the students in the OTC's culinary program.
The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. There is no charge to eat at the cafeteria, but a $5 donation to the program is encouraged.
The Tribal School's Occupational Training Center was established for Choctaw students who may not be eligible for a traditional high school diploma. The center teaches students trades such as building, graphic design and culinary arts, among other things.
Culinary arts instructor Cathy Cheatham said the program has been around since the Occupational Training Center opened in 2003, but it wasn't until this year that it had a place to call home.
"At the end of the 2004-2005 school year we wanted to run the culinary arts center full time and at the end of last year we decided we had enough space to turn this room into a cafe," Cheatham said. "We worked hard on it all summer and the hard work paid off."
The cafeteria is a big improvement over what the culinary arts classes did last year, which was deliver lunches to different businesses and residents in the area. Cheatham said that the delivery service was a tough way to teach her students the art of cooking due to the time strain it put on the class.
There are two different classes that operate the cafe. The first year the beginner class works on baking deserts. The more advanced second year class prepares the main courses, all with the help of Cheatham. There are also four students who are in the waitress class, who serve the meals to the patrons.
"We are trying to prepare the kids for future careers," Cheatham said. "There are so many opportunities in the culinary world right here on the reservation if they are trained properly. These kids may not be able to get a diploma, but they can get their occupational degree and prepare themselves to get a job somewhere after they graduate. That's what we're hoping for."
Cheatham said that the students are really enjoying the program, and their favorite part is when grateful patrons leave tips for the servers and cooks.
"This is a first job for most of these kids," Cheatham said. "When they see somebody leave a tip, it makes them feel so proud."
Choctaw School's Alternative Programs Director Billy Gordon said that seeing the students work hard to prepare meals for patrons shows the benefits of the program.
"It is amazing the training they're getting," Gordon said. "You don't see many things like this. It is a joy for me to see them. They're doing so well and their hearts are in the right place. We're all proud of them."
Two of the students involved in the program said their favorite part of the process is when customers enjoy the food they prepare and serve.
"It makes us feel good when they do that," one said. "We like meeting people and it makes us feel good to see them enjoying the food that we prepare."
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, January 08, 2009
Article comment by:
culinary arts
The culinary arts of educations are open for every one there is no boundary of age, creed and cast to learn culinary education. It is the platform where those talented people can show their skills. The school offer affordable cost of culinary educational programs .
http://www.culinaryschoolsprograms.com/
Posted: Monday, February 26, 2007
Article comment by:
Larry Thomas
I just ran across this article so admittedly, my comments are not very timely. But, I know that Ms.Cheatham is an extremely dedicated and conscientious teacher who genuinely believes in what she is doing for these young people. She is without a doubt a valuable asset to the Training Center. I congratulate her and those students in the Program in their progressive efforts to continuously improve. I wish them all the best that life has to offer.
Posted: Friday, October 13, 2006
Article comment by:
James
It is great to see another Native school involved in a culinary arts program. I teach Native American Cuisine in the culinary arts program at BIA Sherman High School.
17%
