In recent months, the launch of an interactive food inspection map has ignited discussions about its impact on improving food safety in restaurants and cafes throughout Hamilton County. Since its implementation on Aug. 29, 2024, the initiative of the map has had minimal effect at CHS’s culinary classes. The school already has a strong system in place to be able to ensure the safety of students and teachers alike in the classroom and kitchen.

According to Chad Young, chef and culinary arts educator, despite the little impact of the map, the methods used in these classes are similar to what the Hamilton County Health Department was aiming for more food distribution sites to implement, ensuring food safety through strict adherence to industry standards and education.

“We do not heavily depend on the food inspection map,” said Young. “Our focus has always been proactive. We teach safety and sanitation using the Servsafe curriculum, which equips students with critical knowledge about food safety.”

Servsafe is a food safety and certification program administered by the National Restaurant Association, and is fundamental to CHS’s food safety education. Young emphasized the thoroughness of the program, helping students understand the risks of foodborne illnesses, safe food preparation techniques, and the proper way to handle food and cooking methods. After the first nine months in the program, students will have effectively understood the key principles of safety in culinary arts, giving them a chance to earn a certification that will be crucial to their careers in the food industry.

Even without being a part of the food inspection map, the culinary program boasts high standards in its kitchens. Young said all students go through training in food safety principles and are expected to apply these practices in their culinary preparations.

Mekhseb Michael, sophomore and culinary student, said she goes through lots of steps before cooking food in the kitchens in the culinary classrooms.

“I make sure everything is very clean, including myself and my environment. There are so many steps that we learned to go through to make sure everything is safe and adheres to the food safety rules,” Michael said. “Chef Young also makes sure that we are all doing everything correctly.”

“We don’t wait for an inspection. I monitor the labs for sanitation effectiveness during food production and ensure that proper sanitation protocols are followed as students finish their work,” Young explained.

A vital aspect of CHS’s approach to food safety is the thorough and consistent implementation of Servsafe principles throughout the students’ kitchen training. These principles include maintaining cleanliness, preventing cross-contamination, and ensuring that food is cooked to the appropriate internal temperatures to prevent foodborne illnesses.

“Everything we teach in the classroom is applied right away in the labs,” Young explained. “We cover essential topics like handwashing, proper use of kitchen tools, and methods to avoid cross-contamination. In the labs, students must use this knowledge, implementing safe food handling techniques, checking cooking temperatures, and making sure everything is sanitized before and after preparing food.”

Joanna Augustine, freshman and culinary student, said these practices taught in class have become second nature.

“The safety protocols are something we learned very early on, and because of that, they have become a daily routine everytime we make something,” Augustine said. “We are drilled into knowing that food safety is the top priority in class.”

In terms of the food safety regulations, the culinary classes go above and beyond. This practice ensures that students grasp the importance of being safe while preparing food.

“In class, we learned to use color-coded cutting boards to prevent cross contamination,” Michael said. “We also were taught how to store and maintain different foods, with their temperature and proper storage conditions, so that the food is safe throughout the entire process of making a food item.”

The culinary program reaps the benefits of this thorough, hands-on training, according to Young. Students such as Michael and Augustine who finish the Servsafe certification program are knowledgeable on the topic of food safety, giving them a better understanding and competitive advantage if they choose to enter the food industry or job market. Young emphasized the importance of the program, as well as its pointed aim of providing students with technical cooking skills and a deep understanding of responsibility that is cooking food for others.

Though Augustine doesn’t want to go into the food industry when she’s older, she still is very grateful for what she has learned in her culinary class.

“Food safety is the key focus in class while we are preparing a dish, and we make sure to be very certain that everything is being cooked the way it is supposed to be,” Augustine said.