Laura Macey’s students have finished their work and now it’s time for feedback.
“That chocolate cake is amazing,” says one satisfied client.
“That chili has a nice kick to it,” says another.
Macey helps organize Fire Chefs, an after-school culinary program for Schenectady middle schoolers that explores food insecurity and resilience through cooking classes and demonstrations. “We’re working with kids to understand where food comes from and how it gets to our tables and restaurants,” said Macey, a member of the Schenectady Federation of Teachers.
For this event, a lunch Macey’s culinary students catered at the Albany District (NY) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Black Family Wellness Expo, the high school students prepared the food and the middle school students served it. Macey’s senior students formulated the menu with an eye toward healthy eating and appealing to a multitude of dietary requirements. “They have to remember they’re not cooking for themselves,” Macey said. “It’s not about me and my tastes; it’s about the customer.”
Macey has been teaching culinary arts at Schenectady’s Steinmetz Career and Leadership Academy for more than 30 years. Teaching was a second career for Macey, who decided to return to school for her teaching degree after a successful career in retail. She worked first as a substitute teacher and then part-time as a Family and Consumer Science teacher, before being hired full-time by the Schenectady district. Two years in, her experience teaching a foods class inspired her to build the district’s first culinary arts work-based learning program. In 2019, she was named Schenectady’s Teacher of the Year.
Macey’s three-year program enrolls sophomores, juniors and seniors and is taught on a satellite campus. (Currently, the Steinmetz facility is being remodeled, and the culinary students are using facilities at the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady.) During their first year in the culinary arts program, students learn how to cook in a commercial kitchen, work in a kitchen brigade system, and adhere to New York state food sanitation and safety laws. In their second year, students explore a variety of cooking techniques and deepen their knowledge of food products including poultry, stocks and sauces, grains and potatoes. In their third and final year, students learn how to bake and make specialty desserts as well as how to plan menus and shop for ingredients.
The culinary arts program provides students with hands-on practical skills that directly align with career opportunities and have demonstrable results, said Mike Silvestri, president of the Schenectady FT.
“Laura has created a program that culminates in the truest form of authentic assessment,” said Silvestri. “Authentic assessment is when we evaluate student learning by having them apply it to real-world situations, not by taking a test or writing an essay.”
Put another way? It’s learning you can taste.
Macey says giving students work-based experiences — shopping at greenmarkets, touring food service operations, catering school and community events — is another valuable aspect of the culinary arts program.
“It’s the exposure and getting them to understand what’s out there,” Macey said. “Yes, I’m a culinary teacher. Yes, I teach them how to cook, but I also try to show them that there’s more to the culinary industry than cooking. There are so many career opportunities available to them.”
A program of the Schenectady City School District, the Steinmetz Career and Leadership Academy offers project-based learning for students who function better in non-traditional learning environments. In addition to culinary arts, the academy features career-focused classes in computer aided design, media design and office management. The academy also places an emphasis on meeting students where they are and helping them learn the soft skills necessary to succeed, regardless of what they choose to do next.
“I tell them at the beginning, you may not end up wanting to be a chef, but by the time you leave, you will learn how to be accountable, flexible and respectful,” said Macey. “If they remain open and willing to learn, they can do anything.”