[male speaker 1]
This is an industry 
that is ripe for opportunity
for anybody.
 [female speaker] 
 For some kids
 it's a reason
 to go to school.
 [male speaker 2] 
 Getting this perfectly cooked 
meal out to a guest and then
their response is instantaneous.
 [male speaker 3] 
 Getting kids interested 
 in something
 at an early age, 
 it just kind of opens
 more doors for them.
[male speaker 2]
Cooking is an art form.
It's also a craft.
And so we practice and
we hone our skills.
The learning process
does not take place
just in the classroom
or in the lab.
The learning takes
place in the industry,
and outside, and
in the workplace.
It's hands-on; 
we get to play
with knives and fire
and stuff like that.
 So, uh, so yeah, if it's
 something that you want to do,
 you definitely, definitely
 take it up.
 It'll open the door for
 a lot of different stuff.
 Like, I've got to travel 
 because of it, you know,
I've met a lot of 
really cool people.
 [male speaker 3]
 When they come to high school,
 they might not even really
 know of a career area
 that they could go into
 and be successful at.
 So getting them to kind of
 explore new things
 in 9th and 10th grade
 can open them up to, you know,
all the different areas we have
here that align with Mount Hood.
And take classes
that prep them for going
to Mount Hood Community College.
Some kids start their first
year and they have a full year
of college behind them.
To sit in a classroom
for 40, 50 minutes
sometimes can get
really boring,
but when you get hands-on things
like a culinary class like this,
you have something that
will keep you busy,
and so you're not
just sitting there
and wandering around
in your mind.
 [Ben Rodriguez]
 It definitely did help me.
 You know, it kept me
 going to school.
At the end of the day, I got to
go to Culinary Arts class
 and you know,
 that was my thing.
[Steve Molony]
I've seen students have 
a very hard time 
sitting still and listening 
in traditional classrooms,
listen to the teacher lecture.
But you get them in a situation
where they're in a lab,
or they're using equipment,
they're up and moving,
and they're the best
students in the class.
 whirrrrrr
 [Kenny Giambalvo]
 It also requires a great deal
 of dedication and
 discipline and passion for it.
It's, it is a lot
of hard work.
[Court Carrier] 
But we also require as a part
of our classes that there
will be hands-on learning,
and in some cases they
are actually running
restaurant operations.
[Ben Rodriguez] 
I definitely don't think I would
 be here if it wasn't for
 Mount Hood Community College.
 I got set up in this through
 an internship program.
They liked my skills so
much, they decided to keep me
after the internship
program was over.
 [Kenny Giambalvo]
 Chefs are well respected
 in the United States.
They're well paid
and there's great opportunity.
 [Ben Rodriguez]
 I'm gonna be able to support 
 a family, support myself, 
 and not have to worry about 
 so much, you know,
 bills and stuff like that.
 On top of the money being
 there, this is, you know --
I don't have to worry
about, "ugh, you know,
I don't want to go
to work today."
I love this job, it's fun,
it's a great place to be.
[Court Carrier]
They do get job offers
and they do get opportunities
and it pays off big time.
