1st Place, Informative Feature
2023-24, Division 3, News Writing
By Madalynn Emeott & Kellan Galloway
Focus
Midland HS
Knives, dish machines, mirepoix and roux are the hardware and software for 40 students in Coleman who are training in the culinary arts. Coleman Culinary at the train depot is a new career and technical education program offered to students at Dow, Midland, Meridian, Bullock Creek and Coleman.
Midland High has four students being sent by bus or car every morning to Coleman. The program begins at 7:30 AM and gets out at 9:10. The building, once a historic former train depot on Railway Street, the center of Coleman, has since been renovated into a state- of-the-art restaurant. It’s equipped with: a full grill, ovens, a bake shop, and dry/ cold storage. The class is instructed by Chef Andy Bacigalupo.
The program began two years ago after Windover’s culinary program started facing issues. Bacigalupo was then contacted by Midland area schools to start a new program.
“I went with the Coleman project because I thought that it had a better future,” Bacigalupo said. “Collaborating with the agriscience program and this building becoming a restaurant has helped to forward the program.”
When the program initially began, Bacigalupo planned to be a temporary instructor; however, six weeks into this school year, Chef Mathew Fichett moved back to the restaurant industry.
“I’m here to keep the program going, keep moving forward,” Bacigalupo said.
This has placed Bacigalupo back into the role of teaching, after retiring eight years prior. Bacigalusaid being able to share his passion for food and hospitality with a younger generation is what keeps him coming back.
Senior Anthony Hicks found out about the culinary program through a job fair his junior year.
“I taste tested all the food and looked over the information on the class and decided it would be a good investment for my future,” Hicks said.
Hicks has found the most educational and interesting part of the program has been the renovations on the building.
“We have our grill and stove top area with all the cutting boards with other foods available, then on the opposite side of the room there is a salad area and spices,” Hicks said.
Before Hicks broke his leg due to a football injury, he would butcher the meat, cut up pork loin and chicken for students to use the next day.
“There’s just a lot of things you can be doing in the kitchen,” Hicks said. “You can be making potatoes, pastries, juice, or even setting the tables.”
Hicks has appreciated the hands-on portion of the class and Bacigalupo’s tactile teaching style.
“I myself am more of a hands-on learner. I would like to start actually making food, so when chef Andy just started saying ‘Oh let’s just get in the kitchen’ I was up for it and I was really excited,” Hicks said.
The class being largely hands-on means the students get to cook and eat on most days.
“So far we’ve made a lot of breakfast foods, obviously it is early in the morning.” Hicks said. “So, a lot of breakfast foods like pancakes, French toast, eggs, lots of eggs.”
The class has also made barbeque chicken, potatoes, pork loin, chocolate truffles and whole chickens.
“Whatever fresh ingredients we have are the ingredients we work with,” Bacigalupo said.
The class is split every morning into a back and front of the house, just like a real restaurant. Back of the house cooks for everyone while the front of the house arranges tables, organizes and cleans.
Senior Jean McQuaid has taken some of her serving experience into this class and has enjoyed working in the front of the house.
“The restaurant is kind of like a conveyor belt,” McQuaid said. “If everyone is not doing their job things are at a standstill. Everyone has to pitch in and do their part.”
In December the class will be able to put what they learned to use and serve at a Gerstacker Foundation party. How they prepare for this is by going on field trips. On these trips they learn about cooks and servers and how they work in a restaurant.
“I’ve learned a lot about cross contamination and time temperature views, which can be really important because these can be the start of food outbreaks,” McQuaid said.
Even though some students are unsure of what there job will be, this class provides some essential life skills.
“To be skilled in cooking, it’s a great life skill. It’s almost a survival skill to be able to cook,” Bacigalupo said.
NW-12. Informative Feature
The entry should be a single story, which should inform or instruct. Judges will not consider sidebars, infographics or other elements packaged with the story. Facts are obtained from research, interviews and observations.
Judging Criteria
- Leads capture attention, arouses curiosity
- Topic relevant to interests and/or welfare of school or students
- Thorough investigation through research and interviews
- Combines basics of good news and feature writing
- Organized with smooth transitions
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Uses proper diction and grammar
- Balanced and fair presentation
- Story relies on information from primary sources gathered/interviewed directly by the journalist(s); general Internet sources and secondary media reports are used sparingly