Food for the Next Generation: An Inside Look at YV Tech’s Culinary Program

By Sean Fitzgerald

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Nestled comfortably just east of State Fair Park is a young and quickly growing culinary arts school. Even in the sleepy winter weather, the main dining hall at Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center is bright and spacious. Lit up by a towering glass wall, the new building highlights the dining area, just to the right of the main entrance. A beautiful view is in every direction.

In its first year at the new location, YV Tech’s Culinary Program is already home to more than 50 high school students. As tourism in the Yakima Valley grows, YV Tech is quietly filling a need by educating young people in culinary arts.

Behind the dining area, the learning begins. Commanding a kitchen full of youthful, exubarant and easily distracted students is no cakewalk, but Ned Walsh, head chef and owner of Yakima’s 901 Pasta, has complete control.

Today, Walsh is giving clear instructions and wielding a rolling pin for emphasis. Behind him, a dry-erase board with the day’s lunch menu is colorfully decorated. The students approach Walsh with respect, calling him “chef.” Though he is firm in his command, a twinkle in his eye gives away the fact that Walsh loves his job. The students seem to connect with his caring and youthful ways. “I’ve always had an interest in working with young people,” he says.

Ivone Petzinger, one of the founders of Essencia Artisan Bakery in Yakima, has recently joined Walsh in the kitchen to lighten the load. Petzinger applies her background in baking, as well as her experience as a local business owner, to the classroom. “At Essencia I needed to train people; it was like a teaching job,” she says.

Each morning, after some announcements, the students split into two groups. Walsh takes half of the class to do a culinary lesson, while Petzinger’s half, referred to by the students as “the bake shop,” preheats their ovens and gets to work.

Chef Ned Walsh shows his students in the culinary program at YVTech, including Gandia Hernandez (second from right) learn how to make sauce for chicken picatti.

“When I found out that they had started the pastry program, I was like, ‘Oh, Sweet!’” says Melanie Stevenson, a 19-year-old senior from Eisenhower High School. “In my family, pastry is huge.”

The new kitchen, with 40 teaching stations ranging from fast food to a demonstration kitchen, allows for plenty of work space. “We’re not bumping into each other,” Walsh jokes. It is quite an upgrade from the residence hall kitchen at Yakima Valley Community College, where the program began 2 1/2 years ago.

And there are plans to expand. With large movable walls, the dining hall eventually will be able to seat 500 people, and up to three community events at one time. “There is one big floor mixer we haven’t even used yet,” says Walsh. “We haven’t had a need for it yet, but we will.”

YV tech’s hands-on approach has the students fascinated. Gandia Hernandez, a 17-year-old senior from Naches Valley High School, hopes to open her own restaurant in the Yakima Valley one day. “That’s what I really want,” she says.

The students are vibrant and willing to expand their minds. “Some kids are really serious about following a career. Others are here just because they are curious; they want to learn,” says Petzinger.

One of the most amazing parts of the program is the effect it can have on the students. “It’s fun. It’s interesting. But it also provides a career opportunity,” says Walsh. “They find a niche, and all of a sudden it lights their fire,” he says. “Now they’re at school every day. They’re doing their work.”

“They may discover something,” says Wash, excitedly. “It’s almost like a blossoming.”