By Marina Souliman

From savory to sweet, the culinary arts program teaches students how to cook and bake an array of dishes. The classes help students learn simple recipes they can cook for themselves on a daily basis but as the year goes on, students learn complex recipes to expand their cooking skills. Here are some dishes that hold a special place in their hearts.

“Baking chocolate chip cookies was our first project. They’re delicious and easy and now I know the recipe. But the cupcakes we made for Cupcake Wars are my favorite. We made cupcakes with edible cookie dough inside, so it wasn’t simple or generic but had a great twist on it,” senior Arianna Mayorga said.

“Pesto pasta is my favorite savory recipe because there’s a variety of sauces and you can mix it up. My favorite sweet recipe is carrot cake because I hadn’t tried it handmade before so it was a new experience,” junior Elizabeth De Lara said.

“My favorite recipe would be the presto pesto sauce because it’s one of the first things I ever made with other people in this class. It’s helped me learn to actually take time in each step of cooking and to perfect my work. Instead of just tossing eggs around, I want to make something I’m proud of,” senior Jaylen Dunn said.

“Chicken cashew is my favorite recipe because the ingredients consist of soy sauce and oyster sauce, so it leaves a terrible  smell, but then when you cook it with the rest of the ingredients, it turns out to be a sweet savory flavor,” senior Ian Sherman said.

“My favorite recipe is my grilled pesto chicken with a balsamic glaze and lemon butter sauce because I enjoy the process of making this dish. There are so many different components that take part in making it,” junior Natalie Babikian said.

“French macarons are my favorite dish because I love baking. Baking is fun and anything with chocolate is always going to taste good, ” senior Shannel Tejuco said.