Jarrett Young loves what he does. As the chef/instructor of the Baking, Pastry and Culinary Arts curriculums at the Chester County Technical College High School (TCHS) for nine years—four of them in the architecturally pleasing Brandywine campus—the enthusiastic teacher believes he can make a positive difference in the lives of area high school students. “I enjoy watching these kids succeed,” boasts Young, touting the hands-on approach that the school nurtures.
Reminiscing about his own stint at the Central Montgomery County Tech School, Young says he was inspired by a former teacher/principal and went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). After a fews rewarding rounds in the restaurant business at Savona in Gulph Mills and Screwballs in King of Prussia, he was approached by his former principal to come teach at the TCHS—and the rest is history.
In a nutshell, TCHS offers dual-enrollment classes that blend career technical programs to high school students from the West Chester, Downingtown and Coatesville districts. Classes include animal science, automotive service technology, commercial and graphic arts, computer information systems, digital media, early childhood education, engineering and robotics, marketing and nursing—in addition to the culinary offerings.
Utilizing a well-stocked state-of-the-art on-site kitchen and combined classroom instruction on front- and back-of-house restaurant operations, the students receive diverse yet focused training to prepare them for continuing education—earning certificates as well as college credits along the way.
Pennsylvania state-mandated standards via the Institutional Food Worker Task Grid (Cip 12.0508) for the school’s courses of study are integrated and implemented as part of these programs, which are taught as morning and afternoon classes at the Downingtown location as well as at the Pennock’s Bridge (West Grove) and Pickering (Phoenixville) branches. Examples of those standards include safety, sanitation, knives and cutting techniques, food prep including standard recipes and breakfast foods, seasoning, stocks, soups and sauces, baking and pastry arts, preparing menus and dining room service.
The students and staff are instrumental in commanding their own catering business, too. Young estimates that 80% of the food prepared at TCHS is used for catering on and off site for anywhere from 5 to 300 people. ”It’s a living, breathing way to teach the kids about working in a business environment within a real-world setting,” he notes. “We cater for weddings, local businesses, auto shows and other local events.” The students also periodically run the Brandywine Bistro in-house restaurant within the walls of the school for students and local businesses.
Speaking of local opportunities, several students enjoy getting on-the-job training nearby and are currently working with or looking into expanding their culinary skills at Amani’s BYOB in Downingtown, Milito’s Ristorante, Station Taproom and Side Bar & Restaurant, to name a few.
When queried on the challenges of teaching today’s students, Young says that “many of us today treat dinner (or meals in general) as a way to get to the next meeting or soccer game instead of sitting down—minus phones and other distractions—and actually interacting with each other on a personal level. It’s both a challenge and rewarding to encourage the personal type of interaction here as the students dine together as a group to discuss and experience the reasons we want to be in this business.”
Young is quick to point out that several TCHS students are currently attending Johnson and Wales University and adds that continuing education in the field is a definite priority for most, with sights on CIA and the Art Institute of Philadelphia as well.
Not waiting for the dough to rise, busy Bensalem resident Jarrett also challenges himself by instructing at TCHS during the summer sessions as well as teaching adult courses at Delaware County Community College.
Interested in having the students of TCHS cater your next event? Contact Chef Jarrett by calling the school!
The Technical College High School-Brandywine Campus is located at 443 Boot Rd. in Downingtown; phone: (484) 593-5100.
- Photo of Jarrett Young: Ed Williams
- Remaining photos: Chester County Technical College High School
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