Ellie Ahrens ‘20, along with four other students, stood in front of their assigned group with blindfolds on. Unaware of what was going to be given to them to eat, Ahrens was a little nervous. Ahrens was handed a hard, circular shaped food and placed it in her mouth. She tasted something tangy, and a little sweet, before blurting out “lemon!”

This was one of activites that the advanced culinary arts students got to participate in on their field trip to Joliet Junior College (JJC) on Oct. 3. In this particular activity, the students were each given a candy, and had to attempt to guess the flavor correctly.

When the students arrived at JJC each person was assigned a chef to act as their guide throughout the field trip. From there, they visited 12 different kitchens, and at each 30-minute station the students were able to witness the culinary school teachers prepare dishes.

“It was really fun to witness something enjoyable be made into a career,” Elise Vorpahl ‘20 said. “I never would have considered being a chef as my job until I went on this field trip.”

Teachers wanted to take kids on a college visit where they could see what options were out there in the culinary business, Kate Mitchell, one of the culinary teachers, said. The students learned about the culinary program at JJC, but also the finances, scholarships, and the college setting JJC offers.

“I hope [the students] saw more possibilities than they thought there were in the culinary industry,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully they got excited about college.”

At each cooking station students got to observe professional chefs in their field of work and learn new cooking techniques, Vorpahl said. They learned how to sculpt ice, roll sushi, form shapes out of chocolate, and how to make guacamole.

“I went on the field trip expecting to just try some good food, but ended up getting a college visit out of it,” Ahrens said. “It was a really good experience to see a college campus, and become knowledgeable about the programs JJC offers.”

After watching the chefs cook they got to eat the food, Vorpahl said. They ate macaroons, pizza, sushi, tacos, pasta, chocolate pretzels, and chips with guacamole and salsa.

“My favorite food we ate was the macaroons because the students made them, and they had all different flavors so I could try a variety,” Ahrens said. “I have never tried macaroons before, and I am so glad I got to taste them.”

Another benefit of the field trip was the class got to work together the whole day, Vorpahl said. Because of the field trip the students now work better in the classroom together.