Anne Cutler

4:34 p.m. CST, December 9, 2011
NEW ORLEANS—

At the St. James Parish Career and Technology Center, students from different high schools are working hand in hand.  Instructor Rachel Schexnayder explains, "Our school district is made up of 2 high schools.  So the students are from both- St. James high school and Lutcher high school.  They come together and they take either half a day in the morning or half a day in the afternoon and they go back to their schools and take their other classes."

Schexnayder is the culinary instructor for a program called ProStart, where students learn the ins and outs of the culinary world.  Today, they're cooking up gumbo, potato salad and bread pudding.  Schexnayder says, "This is the biggest growing industry in the United States right now.  Everybody wants to eat every day, so they really need students who are trained in this field."

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For some students this is a stepping stone for culinary school or college, but all students are certified when they come out, meaning they can get a job directly out of high school.  "If they go to a restaurant and they show that they've taken ProStart one and two and they have a national certification, the restaurant industry really recognizes that because this is promoted by the restaurant industry."

That's good news for students like David Pierre Jr., who plans on cooking a lot more gumbo down the road.  "I like Cajun cooking."  Here in Louisiana, he shouldn't have a difficult time finding a job where he can do just that!