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$4 million facility gives students real-world experience
Future success could be on the menu for culinary arts students in the Elgin Independent School District with the opening of The Homestead.
The pupils are trading traditional classrooms for a professional kitchen offering hands-on learning and opportunities to explore careers in the food service and hospitality industry.
Funded through the district’s voter-approved 2024 bond package, The Homestead is the centerpiece of Elgin ISD’s growing culinary arts program, which has attracted more than 200 students in its second year, educators said.
The district recently celebrated the debut of the 11,000-square-foot facility at 816 Lexington Road, transforming a former brewery into a culinary education center equipped with industry-standard equipment.
“The demand is so high,” said Maggie Howard, Elgin ISD’s director of college, career and military readiness and career and technical education. “There is an excitement here
“There is an excitement here from students because there’s a brand-new place where they get to learn.”
— Maggie Howard, Elgin Independent School District
from students because there’s a brand-new place where they get to learn with brand-new equipment.”
The Homestead is part of the district’s CTE program, which provides training to prepare students for careers after they graduate.
“Hospitality, tourism and recreation are on the rise,” Howard said. “That is something in our region that’s very specific to the Austin region.”
The program offers industry credentials, beginning with food-handler certification before students enter the kitchen. The potential future chefs are expected to pursue a food-manager certification during their third year.
Beyond preparing meals, the district eventually wants learners to operate a cafe, serve customers and manage restaurant operations inside the facility.
“We’re really looking forward to two years from now to see what those current culinary students are able to really bring to the table,” Howard said.
The district is also exploring ways to rent the facility for community events and develop partnerships with local restaurants and farmers.
“We are such an agriculture community, and we want to honor that through the culinary program,” Howard said.
The value of the curriculum goes beyond the cooking discipline by giving students skills they can apply during any career, she added.
“Whether they go into culinary arts professionally or not, at the end of this program, students will be professionals,” she said. “They will have had that authentic experience of meeting somebody else’s needs through the work that they do.”
