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School Dishes Up Its Secret

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

Updated: 10/08/2007 10:22 pm

ORLANDO - They wanted to know how students scheduled enough time for their culinary classes. They asked about funding for the program, its size and curriculum.

And, of course, they wanted to know how Chamberlain High School landed a relationship with Outback that resulted in a replica restaurant on campus.

Educators from across Florida met last week in Orlando for a three-day conference the state Education Department and Florida Education Foundation hosted. It included an 'innovation fair' highlighting 46 schools from 18 districts.

Schools set up booths displaying information, awards and videos and led sessions explaining their programs. Hillsborough County showcased Chamberlain's culinary program as well as academies and programs featured at Jefferson, Middleton and Tampa Bay Technical high schools and Stewart Middle Magnet.

Other counties offered sessions on technology, business, construction and health academies.

Culinary instructors Erik Youngs and Humberto Del Campo walked participants in their hourlong workshop through how Chamberlain built up parental and business support and the ways students had benefited from the Culinary Operations Academy.

More than 150 students are enrolled in the academy this year, which gives them the chance to explore cooking, baking and serving as well as hospitality and restaurant management. The students plan, host and cater special events, and last year began working in a new venue - the Outback cafe.

A partnership with Outback Steakhouse helped the school district transform a classroom into a replica of the restaurant chain's dining room.

'The No. 1 question everyone asks - how did you do it?' Youngs told the group at the conference.

It evolved from a mentoring relationship Youngs set up between Outback Joint Venture Partner Pete May and a high school student.

The steakhouse got more involved with Chamberlain and, about four years ago, Outback and the district began talking about classroom renovations.

It took years to navigate bureaucracies and figure out how to make the restaurant design fit state requirement for schools.

'It's worth working for,' said Pam Peralta, the district's general director of career and technical education, who was Chamberlain's principal during the discussions. 'The end result lends such credibility and value to your program.'

The students feel like they are working in a real restaurant rather than a classroom setting, which helps them understand how the skills they learn at school translate in the real world, Youngs said.

Billie DeNunzio runs the Institute of Culinary Arts at Eastside High School in Gainesville. The program started 21 years ago and got a freestanding building a decade ago. It has a large kitchen and restaurant, an ice carving room and a coffee bar where students and teachers stop in the morning.

But DeNunzio is always looking for new ideas. She is hoping to find a business partner to improve the coffee bar. She said she enjoys attending conferences to learn from other schools. Before the Chamberlain session, she stopped by Youngs and Del Campo's display to ask about Outback.

'I'd like to find out how you did it,' she said.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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