Washougal culinary students plan, cook lunch for peers and faculty

Washougal — Washougal High School advanced culinary students created and served a special lunch last month to students and faculty. In addition to preparing ingredients and cooking the meal, students were asked to market the lunch special using posters, Instagram, announcements and Twitter. The lunch offer was “Pasta Pronto” and featured penne pasta with either marinara or alfredo sauces and a choice of additions, such as red onions, sliced olives, fresh spinach and sausage, all for regular lunch prices. Students were required to first complete introduction to culinary and baking and pastry classes to enroll in Advanced Culinary I and II. “Our goal this year is to teach them how to quantify what skills they have so they are able to present this information on different platforms such as a resume, job interview and volunteer service,” Brenda Hitchins, the school’s culinary arts teacher, said in a release. “Some students struggle to be at school. My goal for this class is not only that they are learning a life skill, but they are finding a reason to want to come to school and participate.”