When it comes to preparing delicious treats, it’s a no-brainer for students in the Career & Technical Institute’s (CTI) Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Program. They prepared sweets for Dutchess BOCES’ Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 8 in honor of School Board Recognition Week which begins Oct. 13.
Students from Chef Instructors Amanda Scoca and Gabriel Ross’ morning classes presented an assortment of chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, Linzer tarts, chocolate chip scones and pumpkin muffins to District Superintendent Dr. Jodi DeLucia in the newly renovated CTI Dining Room adjacent to one of the program’s kitchens. She also had a chance to see the students package the treats and prepare other dishes. “We love to see the kiddos in action here, really demonstrating what they do,” DeLucia said. “Our board members give a lot of themselves as they volunteer. It’s nice to do this work for an agency so it’s nice to have the opportunity to show them how much we appreciate them and to let the students be involved in that.”
Scoca underscored the importance for students to know who helps run BOCES, adding that board members greatly appreciate the gesture to continue having students bake treats for them every year. While Scoca tells her students who the treats are for, they bring the same effort and attention to detail to this assignment as they would to any other. “It’s good for them to know that they have the support from the higher-ups,” Scoca said. “They work well together, they help each other out all the time.”
Brian Rivera Lima helped make reverse chocolate chip cookies, with brown batter and white chocolate chips and was happy with the end product. Part of the reason he chose the culinary program was that he likes seeing how food can bring joy to people and this assignment was no different. “I like to see people being happy … one way of doing that is by giving food,” Rivera Lima said. “Whenever I come into this class, I get uplifted.”
Jocelyn Walker had fun making chocolate chip scones and appreciates the opportunity to help cater on-campus events like this. “It’s fun because they get happy that we made food for them,” Walker said of the board members. “I love doing events like this.”
