At ProtoCAM, we’re always opening our doors to all those interested in our offerings, from students, to manufacturing professionals, to entrepreneurs, and everything in between! We recently invited some students from Lehigh Career & Technical Institute’s (LCTI) culinary program to tour our facility and also to show off their skills at our monthly birthday lunch.
While they were visiting, we got to know the students a bit, and learned about their experience in the program and their future plans. All juniors in the program, Brandon Bernhard, Itzanette Santiago, Joshua Smith, and Makenzie Mordaunt discussed why they became interested in the culinary program in the first place.
“I’ve always had a knack for creating things, and for producing things,” says Bernhard. “Culinary was the first option I saw to let me do that, to [allow me] to create, make, and serve it out, and just basically to be able to show my creativity to the world.” 
For Santiago, food is more than just sustenance—it’s about culture. “Food was always more than just food to me,” says Santiago. “It was something you shared with your family to make memories.”
Smith also connects food to family. “I always had talks with my grandpa about his cooking and the way he did it, and the way it bonded family together,” says Smith.
The students’ head chef and culinary instructor, Brock Cahoon, brings long and varied experience to his role in the culinary program. He has operated as a chef, sous chef, and pastry chef in fine dining establishments, worked in nursing homes and drug rehabilitation centers, and holds an associate’s degree in culinary, bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy, and a master’s in finance. Cahoon describes the culinary program at LCTI and the students that utilize it as being as varied as his own background: “Our program is pretty diverse for a culinary school…we have a very management-based curriculum, and we also focus a lot [on working] with local businesses and industry…we really go from cook, to manager, to specialized, regional needs as well.”
The students agree that the culinary program at LCTI is an excellent stepping stone for pursuing their future goals, as they are saving both time and money while enrolled. With opportunities to earn certifications throughout the tuition-free program, LCTI offers students the tools they need to succeed. ProtoCAM was thrilled to be able to help them practice their skills, and also share what we do!
To learn more about the culinary program at LCTI, visit http://www.lcti.org/prospective-student-course/culinary-arts/.
Interested in taking a tour of ProtoCAM, or just want to learn more about our services? Contact us today!
