As the KitchenAid Senior PGA Golf Championship returns to Benton Harbor, so does the community impact that happens beyond the green. Celebrity chefs Christopher Covelli and Brett Wagner visited Benton Harbor High School to share their culinary expertise with students. On Tuesday, the chefs spent the day teaching students various cooking techniques and sharing their experiences in the culinary industry.
Chef Christopher Covelli, a featured chef on Food Network shows such as “Alex versus America” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” is the Head Executive Chef and Co-owner of Realm Restaurant Group in Sarasota, Florida. He emphasized the importance of teaching students how to cook a protein properly, highlighting the process of breaking down a ribeye steak into two meals. “I was one of these students years ago, and let’s just say I had teachers, guys and ladies like myself like here, these teachers that gave me their time. So that’s what we’re supposed to be doing with the younger generation,” he said.
Chef Brett Wagner, Co-Executive Chef for Realm Restaurants, is regularly featured on television and in magazines. He shared his enthusiasm for teaching students fundamental cooking techniques, such as searing steaks and knife skills. “Like growing up, I never had this opportunity to be in a culinary class. I kind of learned it on my own as I grew up and for me to be able to give back what I’ve learned over my 15 years in the industry, that’s huge. That’s why we do it. We want to teach it, we want to pass it on and help people come up and I tell you what, if even one person from this class goes into the culinary field, I’ll feel like we did something worthwhile.”
Stefanie Harvey-Vandenberg is the Community Relations & Foundations manager at Whirlpool Corporation and is a lead coordinator of Beyond the Green events. Stefanie highlighted the importance of this experience, “It’s really important to introduce and to provide access to our students about the art of culinary and show them that the world is at their fingertips. I think oftentimes when you can connect young people with access and opportunity, the possibilities are just endless. Our intent is really to introduce the students to endless opportunities and possibilities and give them opportunities to ask questions that they’re curious about tapping into their own curiosity about careers in this field.”
Tyquan Mckinny is a Junior at Benton Harbor High School and has been in the culinary program for 2 years. Tyquan enjoyed the experience saying, “I think this is important because later on in life, I will need all of this experience to make food for my own family one day. My favorite part today was learning how to simmer the steak and learning the correct temperatures to cook food.”
By Nick Gunn, MOTM Contributor
