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Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations

Three students cracking eggs into large bowl.
Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations

Students in the Culinary Arts 3 class at Mount Vernon High School have been putting their skills to use to bake pies for their competition fundraiser, with any pies that they don't sell being donated to local organizations ahead of Thanksgiving! Students are raising money to attend the New York State Restaurant Association ProStart Invitational at the Culinary Institute of America in February. 

Students baked coconut custard, sweet potato and apple crumble pies. The apple crumble pies were made with a personal touch, as Culinary Arts Teacher Samantha Cohen shared her grandmother’s recipe with the students. About eight students plan to compete in the cooking competition, so they are raising money for transportation and hotels to accommodate them.

The competition, which several students competed in last year, provides students with the opportunity to earn scholarships and compete in different activities such as cooking burgers. Both students who competed last year earned a $2,000 renewable scholarship to Johnson & Wales University.

After families were displaced by the fire in Mount Vernon over the weekend, Chef Cohen decided to pledge the remainder of their pies to support the families ahead of Thanksgiving with handmade desserts. 

Teacher pouring milk into bowl with two students watching.
Pie crust filled with coconut.
Student preparing pie to go in oven.
Two students filling pies.


 

Hospitality Management program approved by NYSED as graduation pathway for five years
Hospitality Management program approved by NYSED as graduation pathway for five years

In just its second year as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway, the Hospitality Management program at Mount Vernon High School was approved as a graduation pathway by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The approval, effective for the 2026-2027 school year and lasting five years, allows students to receive technical endorsements for the hospitality industry after completing the program and taking the state-approved exams. 

Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations
Culinary students at MVHS bake pies for competition fundraiser and donations

Students in the Culinary Arts 3 class at Mount Vernon High School have been putting their skills to use to bake pies for their competition fundraiser, with any pies that they don't sell being donated to local organizations ahead of Thanksgiving! Students are raising money for the New York State Restaurant Association ProStart Invitational at the Culinary Institute of America in February. 

Shining Knights: MVHS senior Matthew Taylor
Shining Knights: MVHS senior Matthew Taylor

When Matthew Taylor arrived in Mount Vernon in 2023, he was a 15-year-old newcomer from Saint Catherine Parish in Jamaica and was unsure of what life in an American school would be like. In his native country, his average grade was a tad above 66. But within months at MVHS, the International Baccalaureate course candidate raised it to an impressive 85 and has stayed on the honor roll ever since.