Lake Shore Central School District

Highland Elementary’s Chefs Academy has officially completed its first intramural session, giving students several weeks of hands-on experience in the kitchen. The program taught a wide range of practical cooking and chef skills, including knife safety, prepping ingredients, making marinades and sauces, cooking proteins, boiling pasta, sautéing vegetables, and assembling complete dishes from start to finish.

Throughout the session, students prepared a variety of recipes such as Korean beef, chicken alfredo, tomato sauce, beef stroganoff, bruschetta, cookies, and goulash. After each lesson, students enjoyed their meals in class and brought portions home so their families could try the dishes as well.

The final class featured Korean beef, and students handled every part of the process. They chopped scallions, mixed the marinade, sautéed the beef, cooked rice, and put the entire meal together on their own. Many students shared that it was their favorite dish of the series.

Students gained confidence with real kitchen skills, worked together as a team, and took pride in creating meals they were excited to share. The program provided a meaningful and enjoyable learning experience from start to finish.

A special thank you goes to Principal Colleen Politowski, whose planning, instruction, and leadership made this entire program possible.

Group 2 of Chefs Academy begins in January, and Highland Elementary is proud to continue offering opportunities that build essential life skills and spark a love of cooking.