Over the past three school years, Deer Park’s culinary arts program has grown by leaps and bounds, tripling student participation and expanding course complexity. This growth has been led by exceptional teacher Suzanne Long, an accomplished chef and culinary educator who has brought her experience from acclaimed kitchens such as the Four Seasons Hotel Denver to Deer Park’s schools.
In 2022, Deer Park High School offered one section of both Culinary Arts 1 and Culinary Arts 2 classes to 20 students. Each class is a semester long, allowing students to take a full year of culinary arts classes. During the 2023-2024 school year, the school opened another section of both classes, offering the class to 40 students, and by this school year, based on increased interest, this had grown to 60 students.
Culinary Arts 1 is an introductory course into working in the kitchen, where students learn kitchen safety and sanitation, measurements, knife cuts and basic culinary techniques. During Culinary Arts 2, students learn more complex culinary techniques such as braising, stock making, protein cookery and emulsification. The students have opportunities throughout both classes to work collaboratively in teams of five students, making baked goods and composed dishes. Culinary students also compete in an annual cake competition and gingerbread house competition. Future goals for the program include adding an advanced culinary class for upperclassmen who have an interest in working in the culinary industry.
“This class really taught me a lot of the basics of cooking techniques that that I didn’t know,” junior Max Ferguson said.
“My experience in the culinary class has been good,” senior Jada Ediale said. “I thought it was just going to be us cooking and eating, but I’ve actually learned a lot about knife skills and the proper etiquette of the kitchen.”
“Ms. Long has been an invaluable asset to the FACS Department,” Director of Social Studies and FACS Vanessa Langdon said. “Her extensive experience in the culinary industry has breathed new life into the culinary arts classes at both Deer Park High School and Robert Frost Middle School. At the high school, her expertise has enabled us to expand the program and equip our students with advanced culinary skills. Additionally, her generosity and compassion have inspired her students, as demonstrated by their collaboration with our Life Skills program and participation in various service projects.
Date Added: 4/7/2025