ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — Before heading into their spring break, some of the Ector County School District's Advanced Culinary Arts students were getting ready to showcase their dishes to dozens of people.
It's the third year in a row that ECISD has had some of its best culinary arts students to prepare and cater food for the annual "State of the District" event.
It was all hands on deck, while four teachers worked alongside the students.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for the students [to] both practice and [get] real world experience," said Christina Acosta, the advanced culinary arts instructor with ECISD.
According to Acosta, the kitchen worked to prepare 1,400 items for a menu that included 14 dishes.
"The dishes that we're preparing [come] from every day when we're in class and we talk about what's going to happen next so that we can make sure we have nice products for our guests today," said Acosta.
Alexa Soto is a third-year culinary arts student with ECISD. This is her second time volunteering to create dishes.
"Being with some students that I've been with since my first year has definitely helped us grow a lot of encouragement between our friendships with one another," Soto said. "Some of us even plan to go to the same college or even plan to major in the same thing. I think us being together and growing together has definitely helped us plan for future experiences."
According to Acosta, the students dress for the jobs by wearing their chef coats. They also stand behind the tables and introduce the dishes to people who in turn give them immediate feedback.
"It's a great reward at the end of all of it; it's a great experience," said Soto.