Xawena Geary, 12, swapped her pencils and textbooks for an apron and cutting board Monday and enjoyed an educational day job shadowing at Aromas Restaurant at Yuba College Clear Lake Campus. Geary had the pleasure of spending the day in the kitchen with her uncle Robert Cabreros, who is the instructor of the culinary program at the college.
“I”ve been cooking with my uncle for a long time and it was really interesting to see him work in a commercial kitchen,” the Oak Hill seventh-grader said. “I was a little nervous being in the kitchen with a lot of other people but it was still fun.”
Cabreros regularly opens his kitchen to young students in participation of job shadow day. With Lake County Office of Education pulling its funding for the program this year, Cabreros said it is important for the community to help where it can.
“With all the funding that is being taken away from our students, it important that we come together to ensure educational opportunities still exist for our students,” he said. “I was an Oak Hill student and they will always have a place in my heart.”
Cabreros said he enjoys job shadow days because he believes the younger you capture a student”s interest the more they are likely to understand and achieve. “Job shadow days are beneficial because it gives my future students an opportunity to understand my teaching techniques. They remember this experience and it usually sets a standard for them so they are less overwhelmed when they actually become enrolled in my class,” he said.
Cabreros said Monday was a slow day in the kitchen and Geary spent most of her time in the prep line cutting and dicing. “We are going to have her back for our special event on St. Patrick”s Day when she will be able to help with the entire production of the event,”
Cabreros said. “She will get to participate in everything, from cooking in the kitchen to hosting in the dinning room.”
Geary said she has an interest in following the path her uncle has forged. Growing up in her family, in which her mother is Hawaiian and her father is Native American, she said has exposed her to a wide variety of foods and cultures. “I grew up with all kinds of different foods so I can appreciate different cultures and what they eat,” she said. “Sometimes when my uncle has me help him, I don”t even know
what I”m cooking, but it always turns out good.”
Cabreros will be welcoming another student in the coming weeks. Kelseyville High School has arranged for one of its students to enjoy and educational experience job shadowing at Aromas Restaurant as well.
Aromas Restaurant”s student chefs serve a variety of scrumptious selections 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday on the Clear Lake Campus. The express window opens at 9 a.m. with light breakfast selections including coffee and smoothies.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
