If you see clouds of flour floating through the air and sprinkles coating the floor at Harlingen High School South, you may be walking towards deliciousness.
Cher’rie Yoss and culinary students at HHSS have banned together to start a catering club, which also doubles as culinary business. Like an actual catering company, the club takes orders for baked goods like chocolate cupcakes and sugar cookies for the staff and students at HHSS. The group has been busy baking for their own campus, and creating individually sized treats to be sold during the holiday season.
“The students do the majority of everything,” said Yoss. “They take the orders, bake, and prepare them for deliver, perform cost analysis and type out the recipes. The only thing they don’t do is shop for groceries.”
The hours the club spends completing orders is completely voluntary, so all of the money earned from the sales will go back to the culinary program. They recently completed their first fundraising event, and hope to use the funds as a base for the campus company. Their goal is to purchase more equipment to allow them to take on larger orders.
There are 28 members in the club, and many of the students are passionate about the culinary arts. To help that interest potentially become a career opportunity, the club plans on having guest speakers present at meetings to learn more about the inner workings of the profession.
“We are inviting them to tell us about their businesses, and the ups and downs they experience,” Yoss said. “The goal is for them to have a broader knowledge of the culinary field. For them to see beyond restaurants and more of the personal catering organizations.”
For some students, they’ve already made that decision to pursue the culinary arts or its business counterpart after they graduate. The club was a perfect fit to help give them a head start, and provide hands-on experience.
“I love to cook, and I love food,” said Amy Garza, Vice President of the culinary club. “I think cooking is an art and inspiration. I’m interested in the culinary field. I want to learn how to cook and bake more advanced dishes.”
It’s not all business for the students. They’ve taken the extra step to volunteer their talents for a good cause. They currently hold a partnership with the Ronald McDonald House, and recently donated 32 dozen cupcakes for a fun filled event for their patients.
“Right now we are making rice crispy treats and chocolate chip cookies for the families we are helping,” Garza said.
The club has no plans on turning off their mixers. As their clients grow, they plan on expanding their services to include take and bake entrees and large event catering.
