FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KOAA) — Soldiers from Fort Carson teamed up with culinary students at Welte Big Picture High School in Fountain Tuesday morning to exchange skills in the kitchen.
The young chefs demonstrated their techniques to the soldiers, showing off their knowledge in food preparation, proper knife skills and how to flambé.
Instructors organized the meeting to foster a sense of connection and show how culinary skills are valuable both during military service and after transitioning to civilian life.
"You never stop learning. And it's an opportunity for soldiers to learn, you know, maybe new skills... maybe something that they can take with them when they go back to base and maybe try it, you know,... in some type of lunch or dinner," said Luis Pagan.
Pagan, the lead instructor for the Fort Carson High School Culinary Program who also volunteers as a chef at the military base, said cooking remains a valuable life skill even if students or soldiers do not pursue it as a career.
The meet up also served as an opportunity to show students that culinary arts can lead to careers outside of traditional restaurants.
"Culinary arts is not just in a restaurant. Culinary arts is in the military. Every branch... overseas feeding the military. I mean there's a lot of jobs, so I wanted our students to see that, you know, culinary arts goes a long way," said Tony Rexach.
Rexach, a substitute instructor for the program, said he believes food is a powerful way for people to connect, whether they are serving in the military or are from a military family.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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