Culinary Arts Advisory Board Meeting

October 4th, 2016

Fernandina Beach High School

Meeting Minutes

Attendance:

Board Members – Amy Petroy (Patio Place), Brent Lemond, Michael Cole, Mike Gass, Leah Jennings

Absent –Andrew Yeo, Bill Castleberry, Daven Wardynski, James LeBlanc, Melanie Robertson, Neil DeLuca, Patti Langford, RobbertBouman, Robert Mark, and Scotty Schwartz

Meeting began at 9:15am.

Minutes were approved.

FBHS Courtyard Project Update

  • The development of the Courtyard Project is going slowly but it is coming along. Currently there are pavers, the fountain is being installed next week, and Mr. Gass is working with a horticulture specialist for the landscaping with the hopes of planting edibles. Timelines are difficult but his hope is to see completion by the end of the school year and would love to have an Earth Day Ribbon Cutting.

Program Reports

  • Fernandina Beach High School –
  • This year, Mike Gass has 100 students, with 23 of them being upper level. He has created a “Dreaming Stage” project for some of the upper level students, where they have to completely plan a restaurant from the ground up. The school’s garden is going well, and Mike Gass shared that he feels he’s still in a learning process. He’s exploring the idea of adding bees to help with the ecosystem, and over the summer he spent a day at the Greyfield Inn learning about their gardening techniques. He plans to use those techniques in the spring harvest. He’s in talks with several local restaurant owners interested in bringing in 1 to 2 students at a time to learn more about the kitchen. Mr. Gass said that if paying the students is a hindrance, the restaurants could provide a meal as a form of compensation. He is focused on smaller employers and needs restaurants that can host students under the age of 18.
  • RBC –
  • This will mark the first full school year for Mike Cole, and he’s teaching 38 students. They’ve already delved into the first three chapters of the ProStart Level 1 book, and participated in several labs, including knife skills. Recently, Mr. Cole chaperoned 10 students to a trade show and is hoping to attend the Regional Conference in Gainesville with 5 students next month.

Industry Outlook

  • Patio Place – Amy Petroy – Ms. Petroy has had a good year, and is getting used to the seasonality that comes with our tourist community. She is happy to report that she’s enjoying repeat business from many local “regulars.” Staffing continues to be a challenge as she figures out peak-business hours, and she sees challenges when events don’t go as planned on the island that typically bring extra volume into the restaurant. Ms. Petroy extended an offer to Mr. Gass for 1 student at a time to come to Patio Place and have mentoring sessions with her chef. She is willing to pay the students for their time, and feels that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the ideal days for these sessions.

Testing – EOC/ServSafe and ProStart

  • FBHS is scheduled to begin testing the week before Winter Break for both ServSafe and ProStart Level 1. RBC has a similar schedule, and is making plans for the ServSafe Food Manager testing as well.

Other Business

  • Mr. Lemond suggested evaluating whether combining Culinary’s Advisory Board with Agritechnology’s Advisory Board might make sense. With the focus of a more “farm to table” approach, the two subjects are starting to blend more and more. Mr. Lemond plans to discuss this concept with the Agriculture Instructor to explore this idea further.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:22 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Leah Jennings