Beattie students cook Thanksgiving meals for North Hills Community Outreach

Some local students are giving a helping hand to weary cooks this year by selling Thanksgiving meals to go, as well as cooking extra for those who may not be able to afford the expense.

First- through third-year culinary and pastry arts students at A.W. Beattie Center Career Center in McCandless were tasked with filling 80-plus holiday meal orders for customers who want to enjoy stress-free cooking on Thanksgiving.

It’s a popular option, with orders filling up quickly.

“We started taking orders in October and just sold out over the weekend,” said Aaron Yurek, culinary arts instructor and culinary supervisor at A.W. Beattie Career Center.

In addition, the students make 300 individual meals for North Hills Community Outreach. The whole process is both exciting and busy.

“Preparing a high quantity of Thanksgiving meals is always challenging because of the demand, but it’s also an opportunity for us to develop our culinary and time management skills,” said North Allegheny senior Lauren Helkowski, who is a third-year student in the culinary arts at Beattie. “It’s also great to know we are preparing food for others in need when they might not otherwise have a Thanksgiving meal.”

The cooking process begins about a week prior to Thanksgiving with peeling potatoes, chopping sweet potatoes and dicing bread for stuffing. Turkeys are then cooked. The items are served in disposable pans, ready to heat and serve.

Students are enthusiastic over the big task at hand, according to Yurek.

“They are excited about doing it. When we got our order in on Friday with all the potatoes they said, ‘How many days is it going to take us to do all of those?’ I said, ‘all week,’” he reported.

Beattie students have been making meals for the NHCO for several years, Yurek said. The meals include roasted and sliced turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce and pie.

“Students enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community,” said Yurek.

Among them is Jessica Bui, a third-year student in culinary arts at Beattie and a senior at Pine-Richland High School.

“This is a particularly busy time of year, but it’s also really rewarding to know that we are helping others in our community. Any time you can help someone else is a great opportunity,” she said.

Gregg Brunner, older adults outreach and volunteer specialist for NCHO, reported that the nonprofit will be delivering 264 meals to people in the In Service of Seniors and Free Rides for Seniors programs.

“These programs are free for anyone age 60 or older, and there are no income limitations,” he said. “Many of the folks in our programs don’t have family nearby or may not be able to travel to family, so they aren’t able to share a meal with someone on Thanksgiving. Having a prepared meal on hand and ready to go not only helps ensure our folks are fed well on Thanksgiving, but also is a reminder that they are cared for by their community.”

For the second year, the project is funded by Baierl Subaru in McCandless.

Brunner complimented the efforts from A.W. Beattie.

“Chef Aaron, the rest of the staff and the students have been amazing to work with over the years,” he said. “I am so impressed with how smoothly the operation runs each year.”

The money raised from to-go orders helps finance state and national competitions for students who are members of Beattie’s chapter of Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. Yurek said 32 students will attend a competition in March at Seven Springs.

“We have students finish in the top three of their competitions every year and qualify for nationals in the summer,” said Yurek, the FCCLA adviser.

A.W. Beattie Career Center, located on Babcock Boulevard in McCandless, is an extension of the nine school districts including Avonworth, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton Township, Northgate, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland and Shaler Area.

For more information, visit www.beattietech.com.