In addition to experiencing a little of what it is like to be the parent of a newborn, Life Management students are instructed in nutrition, fashion, interior design, consumer concerns and other issues with which they will grapple as adults. Armed with general information, academy students go on to more specific courses such as advanced culinary principles, restaurant and commercial food preparation, food science and baking. The students learn to prepare food in a classroom with six workstations, each equipped with a stove, microwave oven, sink and other equipment, or in the baking department, which will have a new oven in place when classes resume in September. Students are serious about the program, Coulter and Edwards said. Students in the program don't just cook a few items required for a grade.
Food prepared by academy students is served at major events, both on campus and off.
For example, academy students were among several groups to cater the second Fabled Tables gala held May 1 at the downtown Macy's. The event, showcasing what sponsors said were nationally acclaimed artists, raised funds to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento. The teachers said the program receives support from companies such as Albertson's, Rising Dough, Tarts and Truffles, Sav Max and Cake and Candy Specialties. For those enrolled in or completing the academy, the world of work opens up, the teachers said. Entry-level positions available to academy students include food service worker, chef trainee, food decorator, baker assistant, cake decorator, host and hostess positions, cashiers and caterers.