Cooking up a career path: Serve It Up program pairs students with chefs

Amanda Jamieson knew where she wanted to go in life; now she has someone to help show her the way.

The student at Halifax West High School is one of four students taking part in a new pilot project called Serve it Up, which pairs them with Red Seal certified cooks this summer to gain experience in the culinary trade.

Jamieson said she's liked cooking since she was about 10 and started preparing suppers for her family.

"I've always just enjoyed being in the kitchen and making food for everybody," she said.

Thinking about the future

It was during co-op programs at school that her interest in cooking really took off.

She's spending the summer working at Cut Steakhouse under executive chef Luis Clavel.

Clavel is a major supporter of the program. He's always told apprentices that if they bring the passion he will teach them the skill.

Program is already paying off

That's what's happening with Jamieson. In fact, Clavel has already committed to taking her on when she graduates from high school to help her get her Red Seal, which is the Canadian standard for excellence in skilled trades.

"Amanda … has really inspired me, actually, to be able to continue to take younger apprentices," he said during an interview at the restaurant on Tuesday.

"In four years from now she will be my [eighteenth] Red Seal that I've been able to put through the system."

Learning first hand

Jericho Given, a student at Citadel High School who is working this summer in the kitchen at the Atlantica Hotel in Halifax, said the opportunity is a way to gain more in-depth experience than would normally come from a standard co-op program.

"Here they actually focus on you," he said.

The pilot program is starting with four students, with the goal to expand based on demand and willingness of employers to take on students.

"The sky's the limit with this one," said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan.

Important to expose students to the trades

The Serve It Up program is the third summer apprenticeship program for high school students: there are already programs for students interested in the construction industry and the automotive service industry.

Regan said it's important to expose high school students to the trades and give them the chance to explore options other than just university.

"We want to make sure that our young people have a variety of options," she said.

"I think for too long people didn't think about the trades.… We need to get that message out there that you can have a great career in the trades."

Jamieson has received that message loud and clear.

"It's given me the opportunity to learn and do things that I probably wouldn't have been able to do easily on my own."