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More Than Just Cooking
- Updated: February 16, 2023
Emilio Flores
Los Fresnos News
Culinary Arts with Petros Jaferis at Los Fresnos High is more than just cooking, it’s learning how to move decisively, be aggressive, and learn to push yourself. He says they learn to think ahead, and how important and crucial teamwork is. Jaferis says he teaches the students that what one person does in the kitchen affects the rest as well.
“Even if you’re the fastest or best person for yourself, if you’re not a bonus to your team, you can still be a neutral or a net loss” Jaferis teaches his students to work together, and not be afraid of failure, he says it’s part of the process of learning.
Jaferis says If you are not ahead of the pack for yourself, but instead, a team player, the team is better by you having them. You become a very high net positive.” Teaching the students to integrate with a team and learn how to shine as both individuals, and collectively, it gives students so much more of an edge in whatever the student decides to do.
“They’re Learning Techniques and stuff that is preparing them for the world,” He says the class is very much hands-on. They have a textbook, Jaferis explains, “It’s a college textbook, but what I really care about is imparting the techniques and encouraging lateral thinking,”
Jaferis says he encourages experimentation and failure. “I’ll ask them a few pointer
questions, to find their thought process. Then, okay, do it.” He tells the students, this is the place to mess up!
Petros says that it takes about 6-8 weeks for the students to get used to the kitchen and some of the basics, but he says, then, “We get to the fun stuff.”
“The Other thing I’m doing,” Petros says, “I’m trying to create people that I would want to hire,” Jaferis says “Techniques are more flexible than recipes,” He stresses that you can have just one technique, and use it for many different recipes.
In the classroom, Jaferis is teaching students how to deal with pressure and work with a sense of urgency. He explains that under pressure he tells the kids it will work out. Yes, there are bad outcomes, “they’re learning to normalize pressure,” Jaferis says it’s fine to mess up in the classroom, in fact, this is the best place for them to make mistakes and learn from them, in the classroom!
“I want to give them those skills that will help them no matter what…” Jaferis says “But I also want to introduce them to a best friend, and cooking is an amazing friend.” “No matter what day you had, [you] go home. Cook. And you accomplish something powerful, and get the satisfaction of doing something good.”
Being successful builds confidence and Jaferis hopes to share this wisdom through cooking, whether students use this knowledge to pursue it as a career or it later empowers them with skills they use in an entirely different path.
