Culinary Arts and School Gardens: The Perfect Marriage
Petaluma Junior High School, Petaluma, CA
The Culinary Arts Program
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Do you know the meaning of “chiffonade”? The students of Charlene Nugent’s 8th grade Culinary Arts class at Petaluma Junior High School do. They also know what “julienne” means. Petaluma Junior High’s program is unique for middle schools in that it pairs a culinary program with a garden. It combines gardening, harvesting, prepping, gourmet cooking, and restaurant style dining. These hands-on learning experiences are nested within a Seed to Tablecloth curriculum. Quite an experience for middle school students! |
The Culinary Arts gardenThe Culinary Arts garden sits outside the cooking classroom, between two wings of the building. With the support of the Principal, the school also built a “Rose Garden,” which serves as a place where students can read, write and relax. Tips à la NugentWhat makes gardening programs work for Middle Schoolers. |
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Sustaining the Garden Program
“There are very few of us,” says Ms. Nugent about Culinary Arts classes at the junior high school level. There's little or no funding, because the bulk of support goes to elementary schools. So how does this junior high school maintain support for its garden program.
Read moreabout sustaining the garden program…