Ever since she was 13 years old, Lexi Torre-Teramoto, culinary student and junior, has taken culinary classes because she enjoys cooking. Cooking has always been a source of interest for Torre-Teramoto, and she has always sought to find a way to get more involved in it.

When asked about why she decided to take the class, Torre-Teramoto said it has been a life-long passion.

“I’ve always been interested in cooking, so I thought it would be a good way to learn more and get involved with it,” Torre-Teramoto said.

Torre-Teramoto said that, because of her Hispanic descent, she enjoys eating and making enchiladas. She said she enjoyed cooking because she could bring homemade food items to school for her friends to try.

Torre-Teramoto is one among many individuals participating in a culinary class. According to Instacart, about 39% of millennials stated that they wished they learned how to cook in school. This school offers a culinary course to aid individuals in the cooking process.

According to culinary teacher Chad Young, participating in the culinary course can help a student to learn the basics of cooking as a foundation for their cooking skills in the future. Young said students are often unaware of the many facets of culinary arts.

“(The students) didn’t know that their family already does culinary math, but they do, because when you go grocery shopping, you’re budgeting; you’re looking for a deal. If you have a recipe that you want to prepare, you’re looking at the food cost for that,” Young said. “We give them the background knowledge of that so that when they leave, they can cook for themselves.”

Susan Kim, culinary student and sophomore, said she believes that cooking is an essential skill to have while living alone in a college dorm. She also said the impact of creating her own food is immense.

“I think when I make food myself, I feel more proud about it,” Kim said. “I (made) this, you know? It makes me happier.”

Culinary classes can be restrictive in the time managing aspect. This includes the precise measurements required to create a dish.

“You have to have patience, and you have to be precise and exact, because that’s where baking is,” Young said. “Implementing (culinary) skills is still a little challenging for (students) especially when you’re in a time frame.”

Despite the downsides of making homemade food, according to Kim, there are many benefits to making a home-cooked meal.

“It makes me happier. Otherwise, eating something that I bought—it doesn’t make me feel as happy, because I didn’t do anything about it,” Kim said. “It makes me want to do it more because it’s just kind of fun in general.”

Young seconded this statement, “I’m passionate about culinary, not only from me doing it, cooking, myself, or for other people. But, again, you know, teaching students who have no idea how to put together a dish or how to prepare a basic dish that everyone loves,” Young said. “I think for (the students) to just be able to take these skills and put it into action in the future, and leave here knowing how to put together a recipe, I think that’s invaluable.”