From Classroom to Table: CHS Culinary Students Master Thanksgiving

After working collaboratively to prepare their feast, students were able to enjoy the meal they had made. Photo credit: Panthra Gardineer (12)

The culinary classroom buzzed with excitement as students worked together to craft a Thanksgiving dinner with a creative twist. Instead of the traditional turkey centerpiece, the table gleamed with an array of pasta dishes—silky fettuccine Alfredo, bacon-wrapped asparagus, meatloaf, and a decadent baked macaroni and cheese.

“Some kids have never had a Thanksgiving meal, so I think it's a good idea to have one in class,” said Haberberger.

Mr. Haberberger hosts an annual Thanksgiving dinner with his culinary class. This year marks his fourth year leading the event. “Some kids have never had a Thanksgiving meal, so I think it's a good idea to have one in class,” said Haberberger.

As part of the culinary program curriculum, students also learn to budget, plan, prepare, and serve a meal, gaining skills that extend beyond cooking into real-world management and teamwork.

Molly Bowles (10) shared one of the challenges she faced while making her pie. “We struggled with some partners not helping us,” said Bowles.

For this dinner, students must prepare the meal the day before and cook it the next day, allowing them to complete both cooking and cleanup within the 40 minutes allocated in class. Rowyn Bishop (11) reflected, “We could have done better time management and tasting as we went along.”

Gabe Payne (11) prepared a macaroni and cheese dish for this year’s meal. “I really enjoyed making it because it’s the kind of dish where you can taste the results of every step—melting the cheese, making the roux, seasoning it just right, and then baking it until it gets that golden, crispy top. It was fun to work on something that’s both comforting and crowd-pleasing, and seeing it come out of the oven looking perfect felt satisfying,” said Payne.