Class Spotlight: Catering with Mrs. McGinty

Scott Bentley after masterfully cooking four steaks

About the teacher

Madison McGinty has been leading the program for 5 years, and is one of the most lively people you will have the pleasure of meeting. Her easygoing attitude allows students to learn on their own and develop their style. People will have different opinions and tastes, no dish is correct. McGinty however, specifically prefers labs with pasta sauce because in her words, “Students can get really, really creative with that and use it for more than just pasta sauce.” Many past students of hers regularly submit for a teacher aide position and even stop to visit throughout the day, myself included. It serves as a testament to the kind of teacher she is.

Mrs. McGinty overseeing the cooking process

Different Classes

There are three main classes as part of the main catering programs, Culinary nutrition, Catering 1, and Catering 2. Culinary Nutrition focuses largely on the nutrition and health benefits side of things. While not directly working with food it will smooth the gap between no knowledge and Catering 1. Catering 1 is a very structured class with a select number of cooking days. Required to dissect each recipe before starting cooking, and taking very careful precautions, this class will nail in ideas of avoiding cross-contamination, doing dishes, and cooking to correct temperatures. Every day is fun but the cooking labs will always be the best. Ending with a grand beef lab, which McGinty will attest is always a student favorite. Catering 2 is student-led, although a large portion of the first half is targeted toward studying and practicing for the ServSafe manager certification test, the rest sprinkles in labs where students can pick and choose recipes to try out.

What's fun about this class?

Food. Who doesn’t love to snack during the long school day? There is a certain pride in eating food that you created yourself. For all of the hands-on learning people out there this is a perfect opportunity. Experiencing the chaotic nature of cooking with friends is an amazing experience. It forces teamwork, communication, and focus. Hanging out after labs and eating food has been a personal favorite part of the high school experience so far.

How can it help you in the future?

Knowing how to cook is helpful for the day-to-day. When cooking it can better your health, impress a date, and simply taste good. Going out to eat daily, with that being a sole source of delicious food, adds up quickly becoming quite expensive. ServSafe Manager Certification, available in Catering 2 gives a, “couple steps up on the totem pole to get hired, go get jobs, get a good pay rate.” Ensuring your knowledge of food safety catches the eye of food industry employers. According to McGinty, it can be difficult to get depending on the dedication of each student. Keys to success are, “applying the skills that they learn in class or in the textbook to the kitchen space” If they are able to, “see those similarities” it is easy to obtain.

The Community

Food has united people throughout time and will continue to unite people of all different backgrounds. Whether it is sharing the food made in the class, or applying learned skills to cook with someone, it bridges a strong social connection. Catering 2 offers a unique opportunity to specially cater events for the community. Community members contact McGinty, and then she and the class discuss the logistics of the project and if they want to do it.

Turtle Modesitt is a junior here at Poudre High. Outside of school, his interests include skiing, rafting, and being outdoors. Post-graduation he plans on traveling the world and taking a gap year before eventually going back to school. Taking a large interest in school, his column will dive into the meaning and influence of albums, focusing heavily on the Hip-Hop and RnB genres