AmTech Career Academy is not an average high school. Students from all over Amarillo travel from their home campuses to get hands-on experience in a variety of fields, such as animal science, information technology, media arts, architecture and construction, culinary arts and more.
The AmTech Career Academy School of Culinary Arts is responsible for serving lunch three days a week and maintaining a coffee shop. Students come from their home campus and spend time either working with customers in the front of house, cooking or baking. Each day, they have production lists and recipes that give them plenty to do. Students in the culinary arts program have access to top-of-the-line industry standard equipment, and they also have Serve Safe Certifications from the National Restaurant Association.
“We have these Rational Combi ovens that will fry, steam, smoke, grill, bake, and it’s all in one oven,” said Chef Instructor Rhonda Obenhaus. “So, they have the opportunity to use those, as well as some of the state-of-the-art pieces of equipment that have been updated, such as our fryers, and it’s a great learning experience for them.”
Obenhaus became familiar with the kitchen early on in life, and that experience was part of what inspired her to teach.
“I grew up on a farm, in a kitchen canning with my mom, growing gardens every summer, so agriculture was a huge part of my life,” she said. “So, going into this industry and being in a kitchen surrounded by people that have always loved cooking and being a part of it, I wanted to share those experiences.”
Students at AmTech have the opportunity to gain real-world experience in their potential career fields before graduating high school. To Obenhaus, that kind of experience is essential.
“I think the best piece of advice I could give is that you really do need to take a class like this. If you’re a senior this year and it’s a little too late for you to do that, or you’re still considering it, go get a job in a restaurant,” she said. “I just think that’s very valuable before they decide to go to school and spend money on that.”
Ultimately, Obenhaus hopes to pass on the knowledge she has acquired to her students.
"There’s been some chefs in town that have taught me so much, and I feel like that continues to trickle down through my students,” she said. “I want them to have the same kind of heart that no matter what they’re baking or making someday, even if they’re feeding their family, that they’ll have those food memories that they can share with someone else, and it continues to be a great experience sitting around the table.”
