Cooking up an army of chefs at CCHS

When preparing a dish for a chef, remember this: Never, ever give him your food to taste without first tasting it yourself. Ever.

Students learn that cardinal rule of cooking, among many others, in Chef Jazz Morton’s culinary arts classes at Culpeper County High School. Chef Jazz, as his students call him, is quick to remind others that he does not teach home economics. It’s culinary arts, strictly food.

Though his evaluations are sometimes harsh, Morton, 42, has an amicable relationship with his students, who must supply their own recipes — often from his immense library of cookbooks — for his assignments. Thursday’s assignment was salad dressings.

“Guys, I noticed you’re making these dressings and nobody’s tasted anything,” Morton said as he observed his Culinary Arts I class Thursday morning. He walked the kitchen, clad in a white chef’s coat emblazoned with orange flames across the back, black pants with red and yellow racing checkers down the sides, red pumas and a jewelry box of studs sparkling halfway up both ears.

Metal whisks swirled in stainless steel bowls as chefs-in-training experimented with mustard, vinegar, oil, lemon and other flavors. The industrial kitchen buzzed with the fast pace of a restaurant but without the pomp typically seen in Hollywood’s kitchens.

An array of oils, vinegars and greens topped stainless steel tables while groups of two or three students joked with each other while they worked.

“(Cooking) relaxes me,” said Rebecca Basham, a senior who sometimes experiments with her own recipes. “I like making different types of cookies, like not normal types. My favorite is Russian teacake. It has peanuts, powdered sugar and cookie dough.”

Morton has taught at CCHS for six years, the past three in the school’s annex. The program is completely self-funded through cakes and catering events. Two weeks ago, students served a 180-person wedding reception. The meal included salad, butternut squash and corn chowder, beef tips and stuffed chicken. Students must work two events per semester.

Morton uses the profits from the catering events to buy food for the class, which he typically gets from Wal-Mart. But Culpeper doesn’t always have what he needs, so he travels to the new Wegmans in Gainesville or Charlottesville’s Foods of All Nations for specialty ingredients.

“This actually gives them the opportunity to fend for themselves and cook for themselves so they don’t have to rely on microwavable dinners,” he said. “I want them to learn how to put flavors together.”

Beginning at Food Lion as a cake decorator, Morton later studied culinary arts at J. Sargeant Reynolds in Richmond. There he became a student teacher and apprentice to his professor, who recommended him when Culpeper County Public Schools called looking for a chef.

“I have loved every minute of it,” he said. “Every minute. When you put hobbies together with what you love to do, it makes it really worthwhile.”

As the end of class drew near Thursday, it was time to “plate up,” the portion when Morton tastes his students’ creations. He’s no Gordon Ramsey from Hell’s Kitchen, but he’s honest.

“When I cook, I like seeing their reactions to the food,” Kevin Lewis, a junior, said. He may have spoken too soon.

Morton asked if Lewis, Basham or fellow group member Joe Mills had tasted their dressing. They hadn’t.

“Why did you give me something to taste you didn’t taste yourself?” he asked, annoyed. After chiding the group, he moved on to others.

A group of three girls offered their dressing for a taste. He winced as he asked how much lemon juice they used.

“You need to taste it,” he said. “I’ll watch.”

Two defended their dressing, the third puckered her face.

“Remember, you can add in but you can never take out,” he said.

One dressing so bad he grimaced and walked away in search of something to cleanse his palate. But the students giggled; they knew theirs wasn’t top-notch.

Denetris Turner, a senior who Morton described as one of the best pound cake bakers he knew, stood in the back of the kitchen as a large mixer churned with batter. She was making a cake separate from the class for the catering business.

“I just enjoy it,” she said of baking. “I just like putting the different things together. I want to be a pastry chef.”

And despite the not-so-hot review from Morton of his group’s dressing, Mills, a junior, enjoys the class.

“You learn something new every day,” he said.

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .