Clearfield Job Corps Culinary Arts Program
Last week I got to visit with students in the Clearfield Job Corps’ culinary arts program.
The administration hosts a quarterly lunch with community leaders, which gives the students a chance to hone their skills with a restaurant-quality menu. I did a story about my visit in the Standard-Examiner.
Robert Asay, one of the three culinary arts instructors, said students learn to do everything from scratch, which is a rarity in today’s food industry where restaurants can order pre-made soups and thaw-and-serve desserts from restaurant suppliers.
“Some places just open up boxes and mix things, but that’s not the way I do things,” said Asay. “We make our own pie filling and crusts, it’s not canned filling poured into a pre-made pie shell.”
The students started out with chilled gazpacho soup and rosemary flavored crackers. It was followed by an appetizer of jumbo prawns with spicy mango chutney on a bed of Bibb lettuce.
The parmesan “cracker” was a thin layer of parmesan cheese that had been melted and baked so that it hardens into a crispy, crunchy “cracker.”
The dessert buffet included crème
brulee, chocolate and mascarpone mousse, or mixed berry pie. Even the vanilla wafers in the mousse were made from scratch.
Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Qualifying students are between ages 16-24, who meet low-income criteria and have no legal issues pending in the court system, according to Helyse Turner, director of admissions, business and community.
Guidelines also state that the students must not exhibit behavioral problems or take illegal drugs.
The program began in 1964 with President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” legislation. There are Job Corps located throughout the country; the Clearfield Job Corps is operated by Management and Training Corporation.
Asay said the Clearfield Job Corps 
culinary arts program teaches the basics — operating equipment, cooking techniques, basic knife skills, sanitation and safety. Graduating students would be able to get a job as a prep cook, or go on to advanced chef’s training. Several students I spoke with were hoping to further their education at the Treasure Island Job Corps in San Francisco, which has more specialized culinary courses.
Shantell Speaker of Grantsville is hoping to become a pastry chef.
Ricardo Barrientos, a senior student from
California, helped supervise the cooking. After doing advanced training at the Treasure Island Job Corps, he hopes to someday open his own restaurant. But first, he’s going to join the Army Reserves.
“That will help me to better secure my future, because you’ve always got to have a contingency plan,” he said. “I’d like to travel and learn about different cuisines from different places, and then bring my own little twist to it.”
Barrientos said he’s learned both organization and teamwork in the Job Corps culinary arts program.
Barrientos said before he came to the Job Corps about sixteen months ago, “I was at home, being lazy and not getting anywhere in my life,” he said. “When I came here I
realized that my purpose. I see myself in a chef’s coat.”
Asay said instructor Kirk Parker works with students in the classroom, teaching things like culinary vocabulary.
Next, they work with Christine Lewis, who runs the cafeteria on the 80-acre campus. Students learn what it takes to feed 800-900 students a day, doing the prep work, cooking, serving and clean-up.
As an instructor, Asay received his culinary training at Renton Technical College in Seattle. His experience includes that of sous chef at Bambara and The Roof restaurants in Salt Lake City, and kitchen manager for Flying J. He said he became an instructor because he got burned out from working holidays, weekends and late nights. He makes sure his students understand this about the food industry.
“That’s something I ask the students. Do you like to make food for your mom on Mother’s Day? Because you will be working at the restaurant on Mother’s Day.”