Hospitality Academy Points Kids Towards Culiinary, Tourism Careers
debbie allen, international hospitality and tourism academy, mount diablo high school,
When Debbie Allen graduated from Mount Diablo High School in 1975, she never imagined she would come back someday to teach. But her life took a serendipitous turn.
Allen dreamed of opening her own bakery, she says, which led her back to Mount Diablo in 1991 for an adult commercial baking course.
She and fellow students studied in the kitchen of Serendipity, a restaurant, bakery and real-life classroom developed for Mount Diablo High School by then-director of the culinary arts program, Judy Moon – coincidentally, Allen’s former home economics teacher.
Moon was very busy, so Allen volunteered to temporarily help out after she earned her certificate.
That was 14 years ago, and she is still here.
Meanwhile, Allen went back to school for her bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate. Today, Allen is the coordinator of the International Hospitality and Tourism Academy, the career-focused high school that grew out of Moon’s original Serendipity program.
Nevertheless, Allen didn’t have to give up her bakery dreams. She teaches a course called Art and the Palate – basically commercial baking, she explains. Furthermore, she manages the bakery side of the school, while her colleague of 10 years, Kevin Fuller, handles restaurant operations.
Part of the Mount Diablo campus, IHTA is a small learning community serving about 180 students in grades 10 through 12. Core classes meet district academic requirements, and concentrated electives allow students to explore careers in the culinary and travel industries.
An integral part of IHTA’s curriculum, Serendipity features a 125-seat dining room, commercial kitchen and bakery, plus a classroom and computer lab. And talk about hands-on learning – the restaurant is open to the public for lunch three days a week.
“In the kitchen, the juniors are the prep cooks. They learn basics like knife skills, egg cookery, how to make stocks, sandwiches and sides, and also the breads and desserts that go in the display case,” Allen says.
“The seniors execute the menu. We have various stations throughout the kitchen all manned by students. We rotate through the stations to get a full understanding of how a restaurant works.”
Additionally, students participate in national leadership organization FHA-HERO’s (Home Economics Related Occupations) competitive recognition events. Twenty-six IHTA students competed at the 2007-2008 national conference. “It’s a wonderful opportunity,” Allen says.
But the real proof of the pudding comes at the end of the school year when students put on an invitation-only banquet for 300 guests, many of who support IHTA. The budding culinary artists handle everything from designing menus to preparing and serving the food. The event serves as students’ final exam.
“It [also] gives us a chance to thank all our business partners and for parents to see their kids in action,” Allen says. “It’s a wonderful experience.”
Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Ian Curcio
