BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Students in most classrooms work at desks with textbooks, but in one classroom at the Bakersfield Adult School, students work with pots and pans, prepping meals in the kitchen, and learning about the culinary arts.
The nontraditional learning space brings in students from all different backgrounds, like Charlotte Ross.
"Before I learned a little bit of Vietnamese cooking and Chinese cooking, and American food is a lot different from the beginning to learn," said Ross.
Born just after the Vietnam War, Ross says her family moved her to Hong Kong when she was young. There, she worked in fashion and interior design, but after growing uncomfortable with the country's policies, she moved to America to pursue a new career.
Ross arrived in Bakersfield in 2018 looking for any opportunity to work and learn English.
"I tried to, many times, to find a job. They say if you have a GED or high school diploma, then you maybe have more opportunity, and then I got my GED," said Ross.
Ross worked with the Job Center to place her in the Culinary Arts program offered by Bakersfield Adult School. Now she works with Chef Robert Alimirzaie, the head chef at Cafe 1600.
Chef Alimirzaie came to Bakersfield after running his own restaurants in Germany. He says all his experience in the culinary industry led him to help students in Bakersfield.
"My whole career is based on consulting, so I love the teaching, sharing my experiences and the knowledge and everything, which is not a lot, but I love to share it," said Alimirzaie.
According to Alimirzaie, the Food Network made the industry more popular by showing people that there's an art to cooking, but he says that with that increased popularity, culinary schools have become more expensive for aspiring chefs.
The Bakersfield Adult School offers a one-semester program without a fee, and Alimirzaie says that allows students to gain vital hands-on experience to ultimately decide if they want to continue pursuing this career before paying for more advanced classes.
"A small part of our job is the creativity; cooking, plating. The rest includes a lot of planning and management, so you have to gain those experiences, said Alimirzaie. "You have to make your mistakes and learn from your mentors or people that you work with so that you can get better until you can call yourself a chef."
After completing the program, students earn a culinary arts certificate and can move on to higher education, or begin working in restaurants full-time.
People interested in visiting Cafe 1600 to support the students and sample their cooking, the cafe is open for lunch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 1600 East Belle Terrace in Bakersfield from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The menu rotates based on what the students are learning to cook, so there's always something new for returning customers.
Ross says she hopes to learn as much as she can in the program, focusing on her favorite part of the course: baking.
"And then in my future, I want to have a store with coffee with delicious dessert, and then maybe specially created food," said Ross, "and I want you to come try it!"
