200 pounds of potatoes and $23,000: San Diego high schoolers throw Thanksgiving feast to prepare for culinary careers

First the teens peeled and diced 200 pounds of potatoes. Then it was time to sanitize, pull out some new cutting boards and chop many heads of lettuce for a Caesar salad.

For these 20 culinary students at Garfield High School, the knife skills are probably the toughest thing to learn, said Justin Halbert, their chef instructor. “They’re not used to chopping 50 pounds of celery or 50 pounds of onions,” he said.

On Thursday, the students served the fruits of their labor — including roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese — to nearly 400 people at a fundraiser for their school. It was expected to net $23,000, though the final tally won’t be known for weeks.

Garfield High serves students who are behind on credits or are at risk of dropping out, and its culinary program aims to equip them with the skills for a career after graduation.

“They’re not only learning how to cook at home, they’re learning how to cook in a commercial restaurant — and they’re learning amazing techniques,” Halbert said.

Sebastian Cruz Sanchez, a 12th-grader, said the school’s smaller class sizes have helped him. His teachers have been able to support him and be more proactive. He’s made more friends and had “just a better experience,” he said.

For Sergio Alarcon, another 12th-grader, the school is like a home, and the teachers, principals and counselors show they care.

“They’re pushing you, and they’re putting a little part of them in you,” he said. “They’re sharing wisdom, advice.” One teacher’s advice to live peacefully and mindfully changed his perspective on life, he added.

Teo Ornelas’s favorite English teacher helped her get involved with a zine at City College — an opportunity she later learned she’d be paid $500 for, too.

“Not only that, but the same teacher offered me the opportunity to be in the City College English class that they had there at Garfield,” she added. “So I was able to get some college credit from that, too.”

On Wednesday, down in the kitchen of the Prado in Balboa Park, students bustled around the professional kitchen as they prepared their big meal.

“Knife, knife, knife,” one student carrying knives warned as they moved through the space.

The students are learning kitchen etiquette — like announcing “corner” when rounding a corner to prevent a messy collision, said Jean Diaz, one of the executive chefs.

“All the kitchen language is about communication,” he said.

To senior Araceli Ramos, the Prado kitchen felt familiar, similar to the one at her school. She’s interested in a culinary career after she graduates and floated opening a restaurant with a classmate.

“I like cooking,” she said. “I like the people working together and making the meals together. Then at the end, we eat together. I like everything about it.”