Youth Culinary Arts Program to tour visiting cruise ship!

Learning about Careers Aboard Ship

On Monday, March 24, the Parks and Recreation Department's Youth Culinary Arts Program will spend the day aboard a visiting Sapphire Princess Cruise ship. The program will tour the ship's culinary galley, and food preparation areas on decks 4, 5, 6, 7, and 12 of the ship, as a way of showing students what life is like for chefs working in the leisure cruise industry.

Teaching Teens to Make Healthy Choices

The Youth Culinary Arts Program was founded in 2007 and is part of Parks and Recreation's Neighborhood Outreach Services division. The program has expanded, and is now offered for two cohorts: one at the Franklin Neighborhood Center, and another at the Westside Neighborhood Center.

The primary goal of the program is to teach teens how to prepare healthy meals, although the program also introduces students to the culinary arts field and gives them the skills to start careers in the field if they want to.

The program is designed for 11th and 12th graders, with a total of 30-35 students accepted each year, with each teaching site featuring two professional chefs as mentors. This year the students at the Westside Neighborhood Center are taught by Don Hardin and Ian Trenwith from Jolly Brothers Catering, while the Franklin Neighborhood Center classes are taught by Ernie Price from Ernie Price Catering and Ryan Silliman from Birnam Wood Golf Club.

Anita Ho, the driving force behind the Youth Culinary Arts Program, tells us that many of the students will soon move away from their families, either for college or to start their working lives. "They will be living on their own," says Anita,"they need basic food preparation and culinary arts skills. It has been amazing to see how excited the teens have been to be introduced to new foods and learn about food options!"

To find out more about the Youth Culinary Arts Program, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (805) 564-5418. Members of the public interested in getting involved may contact Anita Ho directly at aho@santabarbaraca.gov, and those wishing to make donations may support the program through the PARC Foundation.

Upcoming Events

Don't forget, Magic on the Urban Wine Trail is coming up! This PARC Foundation fundraiser event will help to support the Youth Culinary Arts Program, as well as the many other youth programs offered by the Parks and Recreation Department.