PANAMA CITY — One does not just “join” culinary teacher Robin Downs’ program.
As the A. Crawford Mosley High School instructor explains, the program isn’t just a quick elective to fill a schedule; it’s a four-year commitment.
“In order for them to get into my class, they have to fill out an application and then they have to go through an interview with me,” Downs said. “I limit the number of students that I have because of the intensity of the class.”
A. Crawford Mosley High School’s culinary program trains and prepares students on the ins and outs of the service industry, while aiming to give students their Florida Restaurant Manager’s Certifications.
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“We train students to actually manage a restaurant, but that involves all the work, preparing the food, serving the food and knowing all the rules,” Downs said. “But the certification process is what it’s all about, so that when people hire them, they know they’re getting a quality person.”
Downs, who took over the program in 2017, said the training his students receive is wonderful. Under his leadership, the program has had major success stories, with some students attending renowned culinary institutions and one of his students becoming a pastry chef at Firefly in Panama City Beach.
For student Stephanie Hall, Downs helped her get a job at Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant & Waterfront Market, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the state. Hall said Downs has been a huge mentor for her and has given her a lot of reassurance as an aspiring baker.
“He took me and my mom out and my sister to dinner, which was a really nice time,” Hall said. “And he said to never let anyone hurt me or tell me I can’t do something. And to be treated good by anyone that is in my life, to never let anyone turn me down and to follow my dreams basically. That I can do anything.”
The junior said the program has given her a lot of great opportunities and she is grateful for what she has learned so far, especially as she chases her dream to go to culinary school and own her own bakery.
“It’s my favorite class in school and I come here every day for some classes, like when I’m done with my work,” Hall said. “I just come in here and I cook something or just talk to chef a lot.”
While the program is fun and interactive, Downs said it strives to prepare students for the real world within the service and food industry.
“After we go through the interview process, I explain to both the kids and their parents that it’s a serious business,” Downs said. “I treat them like adults, and if they don’t do right, I chew their tails. It’s that simple, but that’s to protect them down the road. Once they get a job where they’re doing this for real, they’ll be prepared for it.”
Downs added that a lot of work goes into making sure the students receive a quality education. The program also involves attending and catering for various events through the community, as well as exposing students to new recipes from different restaurants.
“We do a lot of stuff that you won’t see other people do,” Downs said. “We did the event over here when they had the Nelson Building dedication and we took recipes from the French Laundry, from out of New York, out of Atlanta, out of south Florida. I try to challenge the kids on a high level.”
Sophomore Emily Larson is what is known as a “legend” within Downs’ program, having one of her siblings go through the program before. She said she found that the program was a perfect fit to start off her high school career.
She said she’s already learned and strengthened so many skills and looks forward to the various opportunities to come from the program in the future.
“We mainly just do, we stay in the kitchen and we do knife skills,” Larson said. “We learned how to make cheesecakes, pies, pie crusts, tacos. Different soups, pork, pork loins, but just everything, like from savory to sweet, to just like things that we can send off anywhere.”
Larson, like Hall, said Downs is also an inspirational figure in her life, describing him as a grandfather figure. She said it’s clear he loves what he does from how he helps and supports every student.
Downs stressed the secret ingredient of the program isn’t him, it’s the hard work the students pour into it.
“It’s the kids (who) make it what it is. I can thump on my chest and get them going, but if they don’t have the desire for it, it’s not going very far,” Downs said. “They have a keen interest in this.”
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