Authored by Andriana Du Pree, Director of Development & Marketing
Last year at CTE Foundation’s annual event, Spark the Future, we offered a live auction item that centered around a student-designed and student-supported dinner experience. Mark and Terri Stark, owners of Stark Reality Restaurants, placed the winning bid.
But instead of simply receiving the experience, Mark and Terri came back with a different idea:
“What if this could become something bigger? What if, instead of students doing something for us, we created an opportunity for us to do something for students?”
That is exactly what they did – and that question became something much larger than a dinner. It became a real-world work-based learning opportunity for Sonoma County students interested in culinary and hospitality careers.
The Starks opened the doors of four of their restaurants for students to step directly into real culinary and hospitality environments, to learn alongside their Executive Management Team and chefs. Students from Healdsburg High School worked locally at Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar and Bravas Bar de Tapas, while students from Analy High School trained at Monti’s and Grossman’s Noshery & Bar.
Each group of students had the opportunity to work alongside executive chefs while preparing dishes that would ultimately be served at the dinner itself. But beyond the preparation, students were given a true behind-the-scenes look at how professional restaurants operate. They experienced the pace, communication, collaboration, expectations, challenges and precision required within a successful and high-functioning hospitality environment.
Work-Based Learning comes in all shapes and sizes: internships, job shadowing, apprenticeship and more; during school, after school on weekends even. YouthTruth Data shows that students who participate in work-based learning report stronger engagement, greater confidence in their future plans, and increased persistence through school.
Experiences like this help students build direct connections to Sonoma County industries while allowing employers to invest in the next generation of local talent.
Over the course of a week, culinary students from Analy and Healdsburg stepped into professional kitchens during their school days and worked alongside chefs and restaurant teams. Students planned menus, adjusted dishes based on vendor availability, prepped ingredients, developed timelines, and observed the delicate balance required to run a successful kitchen with numerous employees.
When students are trusted with responsibility in supportive environments, they rise to the occasion and thrive. They start to see that their skills have value, and they can begin to picture themselves in spaces and industries that may have once felt out of reach. Several students had been in a professional kitchen setting before, but what was different this time was their opportunity to contribute as professionals versus students.
For students like Maya from Analy High School, the experience connected directly to both personal growth and future ambition.
“Preparing meals has become a way for me to support my family and step up, become responsible for what I put in my body, and express myself creatively. I wish to take advantage these kinds of opportunities as I’ve been working to expand my professional culinary and hospitality experiences.”
Another student, Grace, shared her long-term vision for the future and the impact opportunities like this can have on students hoping to enter the industry.
“My ultimate goal is to own a restaurant someday and build a career in the food industry. Opportunities like working with Stark Reality Restaurants are extremely valuable to me because they provide real-world experience and exposure to professional kitchens.”
For many students, especially in hospitality and culinary arts, events these moments create belonging and generate momentum. They remind students that there is an entire community willing to invest in their growth and potential, supporting their dreams, ambitions and most importantly, how to get there.
Mark and Terri are a prime example of what successful work-based learning can look like. They created access to professionals whom students developed skills with, provided an encouraging learning environment and exposure to what a career in culinary and hospitality could look like, here in Sonoma County.
They modeled what true partnership between industry and education is, and in doing so, helped create an experience that students will carry with them through their futures.
What began as a single auction item made an impact larger than we could’ve imagined: a real-world opportunity that helped students see themselves not just as learners, but as future professionals within Sonoma County’s culinary and hospitality industry.
