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With the popularity of competitive cooking shows on the rise, young adults have caught the bug to create elaborate meals.
In response, public high schools across North Jersey have established culinary arts programs that offer career-track lesson plans, certification, internships and college credits.
Five years ago, Becton Regional High School scrapped its more traditional home economics program, called "family science," when its superintendent established 20 career-focused courses that would match that of local vocational and technical schools.
Chef Eduardo Perdomo, a Teaneck native, serves as the program's executive chef and teaches its "savory courses."
Perdomo, who has a master's degree in culinary arts education, attended public school at a time when cooking courses were known as home economics.
Anything beyond boiling spaghetti and baking cornbread from a box was relegated to vocational schools, he said.
The students flocked to the popular program and the school hired pastry chef Kimberly D'Amelio to meet the demand and add baking courses.
"All of my training was so that I could bring that VoTech heat to a public school," said Perdomo.
Dario Sforza, principal and superintendent of Becton, said the goal was to rethink education and its philosophy. He hoped to create an easier transition for eighth-grade students to stay in their home district by offering less traditional courses.
"With an equal or better culinary program," Sforza said, "there is no reason students would need to go to a technical school moving forward."
Job opportunities for cooks and head chefs are expected to grow by 11 percent from 2018...