Lumberton High students get lesson in building pizza during field trip to RCC
Robeson Community College welcomed students from Lumberton High School on Thursday to its campus. Students from the Foods II class and Foods Club visited the culinary department for a unique lesson in building pizzas.
“I love it,” said Lumberton High teacher Jamie Holder, who is a graduate of the culinary arts program at RCC. “I wanted my students to come and experience this and see the opportunities that are available in the food industry.”
Students were paired with first-year culinary arts college students to learn how to make pizzas from scratch, starting first with the dough. As you walked through the kitchen lab space, you could hear the high schoolers measuring the ingredients and talking about the process.
“I need 1 tablespoon of sugar,” said one student.
“Here’s 1 tablespoon of olive oil,” said another.
“You have to let it bubble for a little while before mixing,” said a student as he was looking in the mixer.
“I’ve got the yeast!” said a student in a hurry to get back to her station.
“I like that we are learning, and getting to help the high school students,” said first-year culinary student Jenia Livingston, who one day hopes to own a rooftop bar when she finishes her degree. “We are all learning together.”
Payton Allen learns how to make pizza dough during a field trip to Robeson Community College.
Lumberton High student Payton Allen, who wants to become a chef one day, said “I’m having fun, I’m learning all about cooking, this is like a dream come true…My Grandma always wanted to do this, so I am hoping to do it for her because she wasn’t able to.”
“He’s been a big help today,” said Tim Amsdill about Allen. Amsdill is a culinary student at RCC, but he admits the teaching aspect was a bit intimidating.
“It puts you on your toes,” stated Amsdill. “I kind of like it, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking.”
As the students finished the dough, they started on the next step of preparing meats, sauces, and toppings before finally putting them in the oven to be baked.
“We’re building pizzas and getting our name out there,” stated RCC Chef Instructor Guy Forsberg, who hopes to use this opportunity as a way to recruit more students into the program once they graduate high school.
Through the programs available at RCC, students could potentially earn 3 associate degrees in just 4 years.
“Many students don’t think about hospitality management, for example, but our programs can help you get a job anywhere in the United States, whether that’s culinary, baking, or hospitality management.”
When the pizzas finished, students were able to enjoy the labor of their work.
“This is so good,” students could be heard saying.
“I love it, I can’t wait to make this at home for my family,” said another.
“This is where I’m coming to school, so I can cook like this all the time,” one student said laughing as they enjoyed their pizza.
“We’re trying to get high school students more involved in the college experience,” stated Program Director James Ingram. “Working in a college lab helps puts them over the fence to our side as they get to form that peer-to-peer relationship with other students.”
Ingram and Forsberg both say they hope to continue hosting more high school students in the future, so they can continue to raise awareness about the program and get students excited about careers in the hospitality industry.
“A lot of these high school students wouldn’t know about our program if it wasn’t for their teacher,” said Forsberg. “We love bringing high school students to campus.”
