Culinary Arts Program is More than Traditional Home Ec

Walking into the culinary arts room of , you might not realize the professional training that will take place. But after hearing Rob Tabeek talk about his program and plans for the future, it becomes clear that tomorrow's chefs might be standing in the classroom.

Students enrolled in the five levels of classes offered at the high school don't simply learn the basics of cooking. Tabeek, who comes from the professional culinary world, has his students creating gourmet dishes from scratch, using items like fresh mozzarella and brown sugar that is made in the classroom. The students also use professional knives and use the cafeteria ovens to bake pizzas instead of the standard kitchen ovens found in the classroom.

Tabeek, who has taught at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School since last year, has an ambitious goal for the program.

"Within five years I want this program to be the top culinary program in the state for public schools," he said.

Tabeek seems to be on his way to achieving his goal. His classes are overbooked and there has been a great interest in the Permaculture Culinary Club, which meets after school and has more than 100 students from grades 8-12 participating. Students in the club don't have to be enrolled in any classes and they get semi-professional experience by catering various events.

Tabeek said he wants to give students a feel for what it's like in the professional world, so he has them start out as dishwashers and servers. Then they "earn their stripes to move up," he said.

He also wants to help students who are passionate about culinary arts and want to pursue it as a career. He recently had Briana Lyons, a recruiter from Johnson & Wales University, visit his classes to talk to students about how to apply to culinary schools and the different scholarships available. She also gave a cooking demonstration.

Tabeek first went to a traditional four-year college and then attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City. He worked in the industry, mainly in hotels and country clubs, all while coaching, which he really enjoyed. He said he decided to make a change to have a family.

"I wanted a different type of lifestyle," he said.

Becuase he "loved working with kids" as a coach, he decided to get his teaching certificate. He is currently in his fourth year of teaching. Prior to coming to the Westwood Regional School District, Tabeek worked in Mountain Lakes and Wayne until the program got cut because of lack of funds.

Tabeek is currently in the process of creating a premaculture garden with his students in a courtyard on the Westwood High School campus, which is completely enclosed by the building. A compost pit on the site is already growing tomatoes from old seeds.

Once the edible forest is in place, maintenance is very low. Tabeek said after the group sets the items up and gets the right types of insects, the garden should be self-sustaining like an evergreen tree would be. He said the school hopes to make the space an outdoor classroom with power sources for laptops and the like, which his group will incorporate in the plan.

In addition to the garden, the culinary club offers cooking classes to faculty and staff members Wednesday afternoons. Students are also involved in catering specific events, including a senior citizens luncheon scheduled for Nov. 17 and a fashion show set for Jan. 20.

A big event coming up for the group is the held at the Westwood High School cafeteria Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. For $15 per adult and $7 per child 12 and younger, members of the community will get a four-course restaurant-style dinner. Tabeek said last year, 75 people attended a similar event. Money raised from the dinner will go toward renovations to the culinary arts classroom. Tabeek hopes to get professional prep tables and restaurant stoves for the students.

It's clear Tabeek is working to elevate the culinary arts program at Westwood High School. He has his students work in pairs instead of larger groups to get everyone more involved, he has purchased storage units to give the students more of a sense of what a professional pantry would look like and he tries to show students, parents and the greater community what the culinary world is all about.

If you're interested in donating to the culinary program or would like more information about the club's events, contact Tabeek at robert.tabeek@wwrsd.org.