Veronica Munguia, a TSTC Culinary Arts instructor, said various regions prepare them differently.

“We use cornhusks, fill and fold over the masa for the ones we are most familiar with,” she said. “Some examples are the Oaxacan tamales, which are wrapped in banana leaves adding a unique flavor. In Michoacán, there is a sweet tamale called the Canarian. It is prepared with rice flour and other ingredients that are mixed together then wrapped in corn husks and cooked.”

The tamale, which originated from Mesoamerica, dates back to ancient civilizations as early as 8000 BC.

It is traditional for family and friends to come together during the holidays and help prepare them. The process is lengthy, but well-deserved.

Tamales are made of masa, a ground corn moistened with water and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves. Traditionally, they are filled with pork, beef, chicken and beans. Modern recipes now include beef brisket, black bean and cheese, seafood, habanero pork, and countless others.

And, there is a special day just for the tamale. March 23 is National Tamale Day.

As new chefs make their footprint, only time will tell how their tamales will revolutionize and honor tradition.

The yearly median salary in Texas for chefs and head cooks is over $56,000, with more than 7,700 chefs needed by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website.

TSTC’s Culinary Arts program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion at the Harlingen, East Williamson County, and Waco campuses.

Registration for the spring semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

Experiences like these, along with his kitchen expertise, are what Texas State Technical College graduate Hipolito Garcia brings to his culinary students at San Benito High School.

Garcia earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts from TSTC in 2017.

While he was enrolled at TSTC, he assisted lead culinary instructor Emma Creps in a recruitment event at Brownsville’s Hanna High School. He enjoyed the engagement with the students, and the experience would be the deciding factor in his career transition after graduation.

After earning his degree, Garcia began teaching at the Windham School District, one of the largest correctional education systems in the nation.

“My experience at Windham was very rewarding,” he said. “What I enjoyed is that these individuals were eager to learn because culinary is very much hands-on.”

After two years, Garcia was ready for the next phase of his career. He applied for the Culinary Arts instructor position at San Benito High School, and he was hired the following day.

Garcia recalled his first year of teaching being difficult due to COVID-19 with online learning. Then the high school returned to in-person learning at the start of this school year.

Rodolfo Ramirez, principal of San Benito High School, said Garcia has high standards for his craft and skill in the kitchen.

“Chef Garcia has led a brand-new Culinary Arts program through a challenging remote-learning year,” he said. “The impact he has made on our school community by sharing his own talents, skills and love for cooking with students, staff and even our parents by the way he leads the Culinary Arts program is incredible.”

Garcia said witnessing his students’ motivation pleases him.

“One of their favorite dishes is chicken cordon bleu,” he said. “The final product was breaded chicken breast, stuffed with ham, bacon, spinach and mozzarella cheese, topped with Mornay cheese sauce. The sides were mashed potatoes and broccoli.”

Garcia’s success has also led to an increase in student requests to enroll in his class.

Fernando Rosa, career and technology director for San Benito High School, noted that the chef’s dedication to the success of the program played a major role in getting it off the ground.

“The students’ participation in culinary events and the quality of the products they have produced has really improved,” he said.

Garcia plans to participate in the high school’s after-school program beginning in January. He will teach basic culinary elements.

The yearly median salary in Texas for chefs and head cooks is over $56,000, with more than 7,700 chefs needed by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website.

TSTC’s Culinary Arts program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion at the East Williamson County, Harlingen and Waco campuses.

Registration for the spring semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

Aguilera is a certificate of completion candidate for December graduation in the Culinary Arts program at Texas State Technical College in East Williamson County.

He has enjoyed learning how to cook different recipes while at TSTC.

“I was never really into baking, but when they (the instructors) taught me the steps, it got me a bit more interested in it,” Aguilera said. “It was complicated at first because there are different methods, but it was really fun to bake.”

Nelson Adams, associate provost at TSTC in East Williamson County, has enjoyed watching Aguilera’s progress.

“During his time at TSTC, he has showcased his artistic and creative genius in plate designs,” Adams said. “His confidence in the kitchen is equally matched by his confidence in himself.”

Aguilera balances classes with working part time as a prep cook at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa outside Austin. After graduation, he will become a full-time employee there.

“So far, they (the hotel kitchen staff) have taught me what it means to work in a tightly spaced environment,” Aguilera said.

Aguilera, a graduate of Cedar Creek High School, became interested in cooking when he was in high school. One of his favorite dishes to cook is picadillo, a Mexican beef and potato stew, based on a recipe from his mother.

His goal after graduation is to open a food truck, but first he wants to get more experience at the hotel before venturing out to do other things in the culinary field.

Aguilera said his advice for high school students interested in pursuing culinary arts is not to be afraid to ask questions.

TSTC’s Fall 2021 Commencement will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions at 3001 Kalahari Blvd. in Round Rock.

For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

When a job opportunity to teach Culinary Arts arose at La Feria High School, he applied for it. He is now in his fifth year of teaching.

He recalled thinking in his first year there, “It’s time to get down to business because we are going to cook many dishes.”

“I was ready to focus on different recipes, styles and cooking methods,” he said

Ramirez realized that many of his students had never cooked a meal on their own. So he turned to fundamentals: chopping, mincing, dicing and following a recipe.

“One lesson was to have them bake cookies in the kitchen,” he said. “I took a step back because I realized many of them had never turned on an oven. I decided to slow it down — break down the recipe and go step by step so they know what to do.”

An important rule that he emphasizes is sanitation safety, especially regarding COVID-19 protocols.

“How many of you sanitize your cell phone?” he routinely asks his students.

Ramirez said SkillsUSA competitions are his students’ favorite events. He said it is amazing to see their transition from the beginning and not knowing anything to advancing to the final round.

“Parents actually thank me for introducing kitchen etiquette and cooking meals to their child,” he said. “I do have one (former) student who is attending the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin.”

The yearly median salary in Texas for chefs and head cooks is over $56,000, with more than 7,700 chefs needed by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website.

TSTC’s Culinary Arts program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

One such place is Texas State Technical College.

TSTC’s Culinary Arts program hosts a weekly drive-thru luncheon for the TSTC community. A TSTC culinary student is given the opportunity to be an executive chef by Emma Creps, the Harlingen campus program’s lead instructor.

The student selects a region and incorporates authentic recipes for that menu. This week’s regional menu focused on New England and included a lobster roll, a boiled dinner with horseradish sauce, a clam boil, and a savory chicken breast with herb stuffing.

The experience is beneficial for students because they gain expertise by working in an actual kitchen and using quality products from their greenhouse.

Due to COVID-19, TSTC culinary instructors were determined to find the necessary training for their students. Many restaurants and food vendors have implemented drive-thru and curbside options. It was determined that this would be the ideal training with the proper COVID-19 safety procedures.

“What we love about the focus for this class is our students are receiving the training to learn how to budget, control their costs, and receive a report at the end of the day that shows their sales so they can create a profit-and-loss spreadsheet,” said Veronica Munguia, a TSTC Culinary Arts instructor. “This is giving them back-of-the-house management experience, which is going to push them along when they begin their career.”

Guadalupe Zapata, a Culinary Arts student, participated in the drive-thru luncheon. After working his construction job, he watches cooking shows on television for inspiration.

“I would come home with those ingredients and try to make something at home,” Zapata said.

The drive-thru luncheon will occur throughout the fall semester, with the exception of midterm week and finals.

The yearly median salary in Texas for chefs and head cooks is more than $56,000, with more than 7,700 chefs needed by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website.

TSTC’s Culinary Arts program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion at its campuses in East Williamson County, Harlingen and Waco.

For more information, go to tstc.edu.

Instead of despairing about the state of the industry that Texas State Technical College’s Culinary Arts graduates were about to enter, TSTC instructor Emma Creps used the tumult as a learning opportunity.

“We’re very excited about the new ways that we’ve transitioned into training our students and making sure that they’re fully prepared when they go into the industry,” she said. “I have quite a few industry partners that are constantly in touch with us letting us know, this is what we want. We’re pretty much right on track with what the industry’s looking for.”

Taking the popularity of ghost kitchens — eateries that do not have dining areas for patrons — in bigger cities as examples, Creps and her fellow instructors guided students to meet the challenges posed by COVID.

“The pandemic really allowed us to take off with it, teaching our students about the curbside, the carryout,” she said.

The experience is not unlike crafting a new recipe to delight palates, or thinking on one’s toes to make a dish with the fresh produce picked from the program’s garden on campus in Harlingen.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts, as well as Culinary Assistant, Culinary Specialist and Culinarian certificates of completion.

In response to the pandemic, some TSTC culinary courses went virtual. Others remain in person, culminating in a hybrid format for the program.

At first, Creps doubted how successful virtual labs would be — especially with how hands-on instructors and students usually got in TSTC’s kitchens. Then, however, she witnessed the surprising fact that her pandemic cohort was right where they needed to be in their learning.

“We found that the virtual labs are very effective,” she said. “It has a lot to do with the instructor — how well they put it together and how they execute it. I was really happy with the performance of the culinary instructors and how much effort and work they put into it because we saw the results.”

In Texas, restaurant cooks can make an average of $25,440 a year, and chefs and head cooks can earn an average of $56,940 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both careers have strong projected growth, onetonline.org forecasts, with 29% for restaurant cooks and 21% for chefs and head cooks through 2028 in Texas.

Creps’ students have found success beyond restaurants, she said. One recent graduate was hired as a culinary instructor at Hanna Early College High School in Brownsville. Others have found high-paying positions at H-E-B and even SpaceX.

Thriving in spite of the limitations that the pandemic placed on the food industry goes to show just how effectively Creps and her instructors can adapt TSTC students’ training to respond to real-world situations.

“We really like the challenges — coming up with new ideas and realizing this is the way of the future, how we’re going to do things from now on, because it hasn’t interfered with their training,” she said.

Learn more about TSTC at tstc.edu.

Students in the Advanced Pastry Shop class were tasked with making almond cake petit fours, opera petit fours, and pate a choux, an egg-based bread for cream puffs, swans and eclairs. Bohannon graded the tasty treats on presentation, including coatings, color and height.

But this was not a problem for Christopher Gonzalez, of Round Rock, a Culinary Specialist certificate candidate for graduation in the Culinary Arts program this summer at TSTC. He was not overwhelmed with the assignment, just like he said he was not on the first day he started classes on campus.

“He is always motivated and excited to be in class,” Bohannon said.

Gonzalez said he has enjoyed getting to know people and learning new recipes at TSTC. He said he enjoyed learning to make pate a choux and vanilla ice cream in his classes.

“Both instructors (Nelson Adams and Bohannon) are the best I have ever met before,” Gonzalez said.

Adams, who is also associate provost of TSTC’s East Williamson County campus, said Gonzalez is a positive influence who makes a big impact in whatever he does.

“He radiates positivity in the kitchen,” Adams said.

Gonzalez’s work ethic has also been put toward the Special Olympics, in which he has taken part for 12 years. He has participated in basketball, bowling, powerlifting, swimming and track events, and this fall he will add flag football.

Gonzalez became interested in culinary arts when hearing about it through the Round Rock Independent School District’s Community Works program, which enables students ages 18 to 21 to gain employment, take part in community recreation activities and use public transportation. Gonzalez is a graduate of Stony Point High School in Round Rock, but he took part in the program after graduation at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock.

Art Kalifa has worked with Gonzalez in the Community Works program.

“He never sits down,” Kalifa said. “If he’s not in school, he’s working. If he’s not at work, we go to the gym.”

Gonzalez has a job as a line cook at Kalahari Resorts Texas in Round Rock. He also works with other kitchen staff during the facility’s special events.

Gonzalez wants to pursue an associate degree in TSTC’s Culinary Arts program. His goal is to be a sous-chef and work at the Walt Disney Co. in Florida.

“I know he has a bright future ahead of him,” Kalifa said.

TSTC will have its virtual graduation celebration at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19, on the East Williamson County Higher Education Center Facebook page.

Registration continues for the fall semester, with scholarships available. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – A relentless sun and heat index in the triple digits were not enough to deter applicants, prospective students and community members from attending Texas State Technical College’s drive-thru recruitment event Thursday on the Harlingen campus. 

Vehicles began lining up 30 minutes before the event’s official start time for the opportunity to cruise around the tents, which represented more than 17 hybrid and online programs.

Charisma Rodriguez was in one of those vehicles, parked at the table for TSTC’s Dental Hygiene program. Years ago, Rodriguez figured she would give dentistry a try. When she became certified as a dental assistant, she realized she really liked it.

After the birth of her child, Rodriguez decided it was time to return to school.

“I want to come back for dental hygiene,” she said.

Vivienne Cermeno, a TSTC Dental Hygiene instructor, handed out packets containing program requirements and small tubes of toothpaste to interested attendees. By her estimation, she had already spoken with a dozen people about the program within the first hour of the drive-thru recruitment event.

Cermeno was an enthusiastic source of information for attendees

“I’ve always liked going to the dentist — I was one of those weird kids,” she said. “Every time I’d go in, the hygienists were always really nice. Everything smelled like mint, and it was very clean.”

Cermeno is also a TSTC Dental Hygiene alumna.

“Since I was here, I always told my instructors it was my dream to come back and teach,” she said. “It’s my first year teaching — I’m so excited.”

In addition to allied health, programs within the fields of engineering and manufacturing, environmental and safety, and other industries set up tables beneath large, white tents for the drive-thru recruitment event. Many of them distributed information, candy and other small items, and a cooler full of cold water helped attendees beat the heat.

“It’s super exciting that we finally have an on-campus event, this large, for the community,” Jean Lashbrook, a TSTC associate provost, said about the drive-thru recruitment event. “The biggest secret of the Valley is our college. This really opens up everybody’s eyes. They’re able to come on campus and see what we’ve got. And the students actually being able to talk with the programs one-on-one is great.”

Applicants and prospective students who attended were entered into a drawing for a $1,500 scholarship, which was set to be drawn Friday.

Registration for the fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – If you make tracks to Texas State Technical College’s drive-thru recruitment event Thursday, July 29, you have a chance to roll out with a $1,500 scholarship.

Any prospective student who swings by campus to meet instructors, learn more about hybrid and online programs, and take tours will be entered to win.

“That may be the difference between them attending or not,” said Melissa Morman, a TSTC director of student recruiting. “We’re opening doors, removing barriers. Now is the opportunity to capitalize.”

More than 17 hybrid programs, which combine online classes with in-person labs, will be represented at the recruitment event, including those in the fields of aviation, allied health, engineering and manufacturing, environmental and safety, and other industries. TSTC’s online-only programs will also be present.

The drive-thru event is designed to offer applicants and prospective students the opportunity to learn more about TSTC’s programs from the comfort, convenience and safety of their car.

“We’re just trying to ensure we’re providing safety measures for all of our students and really trying to showcase our programs during the pandemic,” Morman said.

This is among the first in-person — albeit socially distanced — large-scale recruitment events for the campus in Harlingen since before COVID-19 hit.

“We’re really excited we get to see our instructors again,” said Janet Alfaro, a TSTC sales team coordinator. “The students get to visit the campus and visit the instructors, as well. Because of COVID, we couldn’t really meet with each other.”

If attendees prefer to get out from behind the wheel, they can also choose to park and walk around. TSTC instructors will be on hand to answer questions about what students will learn over the course of their degree — and to give tours of labs and facilities.

Enrollment coaches and other team members aim to help students down the road to official enrollment.

“(Students are) driving by, and they’re looking at programs,” Alfaro said. “Toward the end, they have the option to register that same date. They’re able to talk to a coach and find out what items they’re missing. The goal is for them to drive out with a class schedule.”

Morman encourages students who wish to enroll during the event to bring a record of their bacterial meningitis vaccination if they are under the age of 22, their TSI score and a high school transcript.

Interested persons may register for the drive-thru recruitment event at https://forms.gle/wb8ePtGZXJbi1gc16.

Enrollment for the fall semester at TSTC is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Back in January, Samantha Colunga did not expect her Culinary Arts classes at Texas State Technical College to include gardening.

“When I heard about the work-study for the garden, I thought it would be really cool to get my hands dirty,” she said. “It’s cool to see your food grow and take it to the kitchen because you can tell the difference — it’s really fresh. It adds a lot of flavor to everything.”

Chef Emma Creps, a TSTC Culinary Arts lead instructor, recognized what an empty greenhouse on campus represented for her program: an opportunity for growth.

It was also a chance to save money on pricey packages of fresh herbs from grocery stores — and the vegetables her students needed on a constant basis.

“None of us are gardeners. None of us,” Creps said. But she added that after experiencing success with everything from basil and microgreens to the carrot, onion and celery base of French cooking’s mirepoix, “it became a farm-to-table sustainability lesson for these guys — and for us (the instructors), as well, to be honest.”

With all the money the Culinary Arts program is saving — 98% of the vegetables her classes need come from the garden — Creps is able to invest in replacing equipment like mixers and other expensive kitchen tools.

The vegetables grown also create new culinary challenges for students in the program.

“It’s really awesome to come out here and have the students and to be able to say, look, this is what we’re going to use today,” Creps said, recalling eggplant lasagna, tomato jam and other student creations. “The thing I like about it is it shows them the different side of what they can use with the vegetables, instead of just slicing the tomato and putting it in a salad or sandwich.”

Inside the greenhouse, Culinary Arts work-study students like Colunga snipped fresh basil and hunted down peppers in the lush greenery. Outside, potatoes, onions, butternut squash, celery, garlic, zucchini, cantaloupe and watermelon dominate the beds. Recently Creps planted banana, papaya, fig, peach, mango, avocado and citrus trees.

“We started off with this tiny thing, and we just took over this area,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out where we can plant our pumpkins. Every time we come out here, pulling carrots or whatever, we’re like little kids — we get excited.”

In the future, Creps hopes to continue harvesting the fruits of her Culinary Arts program’s labors in the greenhouse and surrounding gardens. She would like to build community awareness by connecting with other gardeners in the Harlingen area and perhaps creating a club. Local farmers markets could also be a good place to sample students’ jams and homemade pickles.

“We want to really showcase this,” Creps said. “We’re always amazed by it. It really provides a different educational aspect for the students.”

Registration for the fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.