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Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Leah Levin Albert Hsieh showing off his cutting style. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Nicole DeJesus Bill Wells cooking in the kitchen. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Nicole DeJesus Jacob Keefe and Leslie Tencer preparing rad velvet cakes. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Nicole DeJesus Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. [Click to enlarge]

Did you know that Mesa College has a Culinary Arts program? Students have the opportunity to purse a field of study that can open the door to many different careers. Career options could be pastry chef, executive chef, private chef, food stylist, caterer, food writer, entrepreneur, sous chef, and so on.

These careers can lead to benefits that include free travel to places as casinos, cruise lines, airlines, resorts, and more.

Students are required to take a sanitation and safety course before they can take a cooking class. The class instills in them the value of hand-washing and teaches them how to use various kitchen utensils.

Culinary chef Peter Robson teaches the gourmet food preparation course in the afternoons where the students learn how to cook the food and practice presentation. For example, the practice how to set the table up, how to service people food, and even learn how to wash dishes appropriately.

Head chef Mike Fitzgerald has been passionate about this program since 1999 and is "in the works" of setting up a restaurant that the students will be running later this year.

People might wonder why they should try this program instead of doing it at a specific culinary arts program. "The difference with this program would be that Mesa College is articulated and affordable," said Fitzgerald.

Student Theresa Kane-Cronin had the option to go to an expensive private culinary school, but realized that Mesa program is a "win, win" situation. "You just can't beat it," she said.

Kane-Cronin sees the Mesa program as the best option for expanding her knowledge of the culinary arts and applying it to her catering and event planning career.

Stay-at-home mom Ann McLaurin Trantham has always had a love for baking, and now attends Mesa with the hope of starting a career in cooking. "Do what you're passionate about in life," says Trantham. She wishes she knew that when she was younger, but now she finally has the chance to work in a career that she loves.

Three weeks into the class and the students seem confident and willing to learn as much as they can. Leslie Tencer is a student who is retired and for fun he decided to take the courses to improve his cooking. His dream is to open a high-end restaurant for bikers in another state at some point in his life.

The majority of students have plans to open their own restaurant in the future and are focused to fulfill their dream. For now, they all seem to be happy if they are just cooking as much as possible.

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