Clemente Cooks!

It was a busy week for the Roberto Clemente culinary arts department. The students and instructors were out and about in the community making a difference with their culinary skills. On Sunday, the cooks were participating in a scholarship fundraising showcase put on by the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (CCAP). CCAP is one of the culinary arts department’s outside partners, which works to obtain scholarships for those students wishing to continue their culinary education beyond high school. CCAP is a national organization based out of New York City whose mission is to make sure that all students wishing to pursue post-secondary education in the hospitality industry can do so without financial burden. Even though CCAP is a national organization, all of the proceeds from Sunday night’s event will benefit students from CPS. At the event, high school culinary programs from all around the city set up their stations to provide paying guests with a sample of the food they make in their culinary programs. For our part, Clemente went with a Hispanic theme, serving mini jibaritos, chips with guacamole, and Cuban sandwiches. We also served a vegan, gluten free peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookie that the guests could not stop raving about. The event raised over $40,000 for culinary scholarships.

On Wednesday, the culinary team was off to a Taste of the Neighborhood at Presence St. Mary’s hospital cafeteria. At the event, restaurants from around the neighborhood brought samples of their food to sell to hungry hospital staffers and visitors. Our Clemente booth sold chicken tacos, beef tacos, our house made pizza, and our famous carrot cake muffins. The students had fun cooking, but more fun interacting with the guests and making some new friends. All of the proceeds from the day’s activities will go to buy new equipment and uniforms for the culinary program. We are looking forward to a rewarding partnership with the hospital and their staff.