Recipe for Success

Pam Carter, culinary arts teacher at Sulphur Springs High School, was recently named Teacher of the Year by the Hospitality Educators Association of Texas (HEAT).

“It was a great honor,” Carter said. “I was surprised that I would win over all those other teachers. It’s something I never expected. I’m very thankful and very proud to have won the award.”

Carter began her teaching career three years ago. Prior to that, she spent 30 years working in food service, doing event planning and working as a chef. She attended the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and earned a certificate in culinary management. In addition to teaching, Carter also has her own catering company.

“I had [all] practical industry experience, and I was perfectly happy in my job,” Carter said. When Mrs. [Jenny] Arledge [director of college and career readiness] approached me about a teaching job, I kept thinking, ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a teacher.’ I didn’t know if could do the students justice. I don’t want to do something if I can’t do my best — I’m not going to do something halfway.”

Carter said her husband questioned her often about changing careers.

“I remember him asking me, ‘Are you sure you’re going to like this? I can’t see you doing anything but being a chef. You love to cook. That’s what you do,’” Carter said.

“I think of things differently than a normal teacher, and I see now that’s actually been an asset for me,” Carter said. “I think about the kids and the curriculum from an industry perspective. What do you need to be successful going into culinary school, going into the job market?”

Carter’s students have participated in several community events already this year, such as the Heart of Hope banquet, the Help a Child benefit and the SSHS Veterans Day reception, where they served 300 people and were required to speak with every veteran attending.

“I think it’s so important to be involved with the community, for the kids to be able to give back. In the fast-paced society we live in, it’s so important for the kids to see not only us preparing the food, but actually seeing and talking to customers and connecting with them. We’re in such a disconnected society with all our technology that we don’t converse. Even if they don’t go into culinary, those ‘soft skills’ are still so important — 80% of the population starts their career in some sort of hospitality job. Plus, cooking is a life skill. Like laundry. We do laundry in my classes, too,” Carter said.

In the three years Carter has been teaching at SSHS, the size of the culinary arts program has tripled.

“My first year, we had five students in the culinary program. Total. Now we have 165-170 students in the program,” she said.

Carter loves to watch her students blossom over the course of the year.

“I’m so proud of the kids,” she said. “Some of the quiet ones who actually get their bravery up while serving at an event. They’re so proud of themselves. They get that pride back, which gives them confidence to do it again. I want them to know I do genuinely care about them. I’m not just teaching a class.”

Carter recalled a former student, a recent graduate, who signed up for culinary arts classes thinking they’d be easy and require little effort. He quickly discovered that was not the case. Over his two years in the program, Carter was able to watch him develop a true passion for something — which turned out to be cooking. After graduation, he enrolled in culinary school.

“My favorite thing about teaching is seeing the kids succeed, whether it’s small or large. Seeing them overcome self-doubt, seeing them transform — that just warms my heart,” Carter said. “I think they have a sense of belonging, a sense of family in our culinary room. I love watching that develop.”

Carter summed it up this way: “I’m very blessed. Really, I’m the winner in the thing. I feel like I’m the recipient of more than I could ever imagine because of what I gain every day.”