South San Francisco USD has been developing school-to-career programs, also known as Career Technology Education (CTE), to meet the goal to provide diverse, quality education options for its students.

At El Camino High School, Hamilton + Aitken Architects recently renovated an outmoded home economics lab to provide a new state-of-the-art teaching kitchen for students to build skills and confidence working in a professional restaurant environment. The Culinary Arts Career Education Technology lab provides eight cooking workstations for up to four students each, with related food preparation and cleanup areas, simulating the kind of experience students could expect working in a working kitchen.

Standing-height tables and stools can be moved from the cooking workstations to a central area for lecture instruction. The teacher’s presentation area includes a demonstration table, flat-screen TV, projection screen, whiteboards, and storage casework. The eight cooking stations with restaurant quality ranges are clustered along the central axis of the teaching space, in order to improve supervision and simplify the layout of the exhaust hoods required. Refrigeration equipment, pantries, dishwashing areas, prep sinks, and other equipment common in modern restaurants are arranged around the lab perimeter to allow groups of students ample space for learning all components of operating and working within a commercial kitchen.

The impact of the simultaneous use of eight cook stations required a major renovation of the HVAC system including exhaust and make-up air. Additionally, controls, electrical power, plumbing, sprinklers, and fire alarm required upgrades. The finishes were selected for easy maintenance and durability, with plenty of uniform LED lighting. This project also triggered an accessibility renovation of nearby restrooms.

This kitchen is designed for educational purposes only, and approved by the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and the local county health department.