TECC-West Culinary Arts earns accreditation from American Culinary Federation

If you find yourself walking through the halls of TECC- West on a Thursday morning this school year, you will be greeted with a warm aroma of freshly baked pastries and sizzling entrees. For students across the district striving for a career in culinary, this isn’t a typical school day.

Once a week, the multipurpose room at TECC-West transforms into a fully functioning restaurant called Café 3040. From back-of-house operations to serving tables — students in the Culinary Arts Program run every aspect of it.

Students spend weeks deciding the theme, crafting the menu, and preparing a plan to create the best dining experience possible. Marcus High School senior Elin Peterson said teamwork is key to ensuring things run smoothly.

“Teamwork and learning to work around mistakes is so important because in the kitchen it's little hiccup after little hiccup,” Peterson said. “I think that's one of the big things I've learned. In the kitchen everyone's doing their thing, but it all comes together in the end.”

This collaborative spirit is exactly what instructors are looking to instill in their students.

For Chef Kenny Shier, department lead for culinary arts, the program is about more than just teaching students the basics of cooking and hospitality — it is about equipping young professionals with the skills they need to hit the ground running in the workforce.

“The one thing that we stress on a daily basis is professionalism and accountability,” Shier said. “These kids can come out of this school and go right into the workforce, and that's kind of our goal here.”

This commitment to excellence was officially recognized over the summer. On July 1, the program received accreditation from the American Culinary Federation — making it just the second program in Texas to receive accreditation for both Secondary Culinary Arts and Secondary Baking & Pastry. 

Achievements like this helped LISD earn recognition as a CTE District of Distinction for the third consecutive year, placing its Career and Technical Education programs in the top 6% statewide.

Shier said this recognition will open new doors for students in the program.

“What this means to us is more certifications and things that we can offer to the students,” Shier said. “It gives us a lot of validity and tells us that we're doing the right things here. It's going to open up a lot of opportunities for our students.”

One student benefiting from the program’s high standards is The Colony High School senior Andres Trejo. Trejo has ambitions of opening his own restaurant one day, and says he feels confident he can reach his goal thanks in part to his teachers and classmates pushing him to be better.

“The program makes me elevate my standards,” Trejo said. “It pushes me to be a better version of myself everyday, even when I don’t feel like going to work. Remembering to keep a smile on my face and stay positive because positivity will make the dishes better.”

This school year, consider leaving the sack lunch at home and heading over to TECC-West to support our culinary arts students. Follow Café 3040 on Facebook to see what is on the menu.