BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Jack Low had never taught a high school class when he applied for the culinary instructor position at Eudora High School.
Low, who went to culinary school at Johnson County Community College, had worked in restaurants around Lawrence for nearly 20 years when one of his former co-workers recommended he apply in Eudora.
Now, seven years later, he is still teaching sophomores through seniors in the Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Program.
“For me, it was, ‘Try to focus it more.’ It was kind of at the time a general ed,” Low said. “I’ve kind of turned it to be more focused on: If I was trying to hire someone out of high school, what skills would I want them to already have?”
Low’s goal since beginning at the school has been to shift the program from focusing on the basics to instead teaching skills that would be useful once a student gets into the industry or goes to culinary school. He teaches students everything from basic knife skills to cutting up chickens.
And now Low has recruited ED-TEC Auto Collision Instructor Chris Paxton to help with his next big project: a food truck.
Low said he had the idea for a food truck a couple of years ago, but he finally launched the project when a van came up for sale this year. The food truck is still being constructed, but should be complete to use for football concessions this fall to serve items like burgers, ice cream and pulled pork tacos.
“Just thinking about the football games, going out to a football game and a school food truck, not just a random food truck but a school food truck with our school logo on the side would be really cool,” Low said.
As the community continues to embrace the program through catering opportunities and fundraising support, Low said he hopes it will allow the high school to feel more connected to the rest of the town.
Culinary students from Eudora, De Soto and Mill Valley High Schools already have the opportunity to cook and cater for school and local events, bake for cookie orders and compete in culinary competitions around the state with Low’s guidance.
For many students, the program has served as an outlet to begin their culinary careers in high school.
“It helped me just kind of solidify that I do want to go into like restaurants, in some sort of way,” said 2017 Mill Valley graduate Laken Wagner. “My mindset since then has definitely changed quite a bit, but I would say that it definitely gave me a good starting point for my career because I was able to make connections with people within the industry.”
Currently a junior at Kansas State University studying hospitality management, Wagner hopes to one day open her own business, like a coffee shop or a bakery.
Wagner is one of several students who has gone on to pursue a culinary career. Other students have gone to culinary school at Johnson County Community College, where the program allows them to work in an apprenticeship role at a local business while also taking classes. Some have turned toward nutrition-based careers.
Wagner said her relationship with Low has given her a place to go back to if she ever needs help.
“Connecting with Chef Low just really has given me a good point of ‘OK, I can go back in if I need to, if I have questions about really anything,’” Wagner said.
Low said his classes range anywhere from students wanting to be in the industry, such as Wagner, to students just wanting to learn to cook. Skill levels in the classes are identified by the chef coats they wear — white for first years, black for second and blue for third.
Eudora High School senior Morgan Campbell took a culinary class as a sophomore. She took her junior year off to take another ED-TEC class where she got her CNA since she plans to go to nursing school. But she said she was drawn back to the culinary program her senior year.
“I didn’t know if I’d like it or not and I really liked it,” Campbell said. “I liked everyone in my class. It was a really small group. At the beginning, we didn’t really know each other but at the end we all hung out and everything. It was really fun.”
Campbell said although she does not plan to go into the culinary industry, the classes have taught her more than just how to cook, such as teamwork skills, and she’s gotten to know students from across grade levels through it.
Wagner said it’s the basics necessary for the industry that have put her ahead in her collegiate career.
“I think a lot of people take it for granted,” Wagner said. “A lot of people think it’s just a glorified FACS [family and consumer science] program, but if you’re serious about being in the industry it can be so much more than that for you.”
Faith Burling contributed to this story.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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