Free St. Mary culinary school opens

The St. Mary Community Action Agency is launching South Louisiana’s only free culinary school for those who meet certain income guidelines.

According to CAA CEO Almetra Franklin, the program is designed to help St. Mary residents find work in the food industry. She said the sessions also lay the groundwork for future restaurant owners or caterers. The sessions, which are offered in three 8-week blocks, are under way at the CAA’s central office. The next one begins July 12, and the final session is set for Sept. 13.

Classes will eventually move to a permanent facility, a former restaurant on Magnolia Street in Franklin, which is still fully equipped, the CEO said.

Enrollment is open to those at or below the 200 percent poverty level income guideline.

Franklin said the program should be a particular benefit to those who are jobless or underemployed. “This is a growing industry, and [the training] will pay off for students participating in the project,” she said.

CAA grant writer Mary Brown, whose work helped garner the funds for the culinary school, said those who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate.

Students who wish to continue their training will be referred to a follow-up program – Micro Enterprise Developmental Course, which focuses on the industry’s business side.

Morgan City native Donovan Tullier, a trained chef, is the culinary school’s instructor. His class syllabus includes food safety and sanitation, knife skills and culinary history, in addition to a variety of cooking techniques. He will also cover cooking terms, or what he calls “kitchen chef lingo.”

“You can’t just jump into a kitchen and start cooking,” Tullier said. “You have to understand the terminology and have basic knowledge.”

Although this is Tullier’s first time teaching, he is a professional chef with 12 years’ training. He’s worked at private country clubs, for Chef Emeril Lagasse and, most recently, at Cypress Bayou Casino.

He received his culinary training at Chef John Folse Culinary School in Thibodaux.

Tullier said the St. Mary CAA Culinary School fills a niche on the local food scene, giving workers basic hands-on skills to work in a professional kitchen.

“I know a lot of people who go to chef schools and come out with self-importance,” he said. “I was one of them until I got knocked down and quickly realized how important I wasn’t.”

T.J. Carinlas, of Jeanerette, and Clarence Clark Jr., of Franklin, both currently enrolled in classes, have been cooking for years but are looking to enhance their skills.

A former offshore worker, Carinlas is currently unemployed. He hopes the skills he’s learning will held him find work and “make a decent living.”

Meanwhile, Clark, the school’s oldest student at 64, was an offshore cook. “I want to be a better cook,” he said. “This class has already gone beyond my expectations. It is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Upon completion of the course, Baldwin’s Adria Baker hopes to open a catering business. “I didn’t expect to learn so much already,” she said.

Those reviews are great news for Denise Teno, the culinary school’s project manager. Word of the program’s success is spreading quickly, she said.

“People tell us how they’ve always wanted to go to cooking school, but they can’t afford it,” Teno said. “Now, they’re excited because they can achieve their goal in a much shorter time and for free.”

Teno said enrollment is still open. For information, call (337) 828-5703 weekdays. Teno said free transportation to the school is also available.

Culinary instructor Chef Donovan Tullier leads a class at the St. Mary Community Agency’s culinary school. Offered free to parish residents, the program is designed to prep cooks for the industry. * Photo by HOWARD CASTAY JR.