Whenever the warm, comforting smell of melting butter and cheese slowly fills the kitchen, I know my mom is making her homemade baked mac and cheese.

Every time she pulls out the ingredients and starts to make it, she mentions that it’s a recipe she learned when she attended Del Val years ago. Hearing her stories about cooking in class and sharing food with classmates made me wonder why that experience no longer exists for Del Val students today.

Del Val had previously offered a culinary elective, but the class was discontinued after Laura Strauber, who ran the course, stopped teaching at the school in 2014.

“I taught students how to cook at home,” Strauber said. “My first year I taught clothing, foods, child care and interior design. Students learn decision making, time management, how to work as a team and problem solving. Cooking also involves math and science skills.”

Strauber’s class left lasting impressions on many of her students, whether or not they pursued culinary.

Her class offered students a kind of learning that seldom fits in schools where success is measured solely by textbooks.

“A standardized test does not determine a student’s ability to work with others towards a common goal, manage time on task or their ability to make informative decisions,” Strauber said. “These are qualities employers are looking for in employees.”

A culinary elective gives students practical life skills that many don’t learn in a traditional classroom. Knowing how to cook basic meals, read recipes and understand kitchen safety are skills that will be relevant to students’ everyday lives long after graduation.

Del Val junior Abigail Simpson attends Polytech part-time for culinary, and these skills are already shaping her future.

“My favorite thing I’ve learned is knife skills, like different cuts and what they’re called and baking techniques,” Simpson said.

Although Del Val students aren’t offered this opportunity in-house, Simpson hopes that they find a way to still learn from kitchen experiences.

“Whether or not you want to pursue a career in culinary arts, it’s a really fun class to take, and it teaches you a lot about the hospitality industry,” Simpson said.

Bringing back a culinary elective would give all students the chance to develop these life skills. Beyond preparing meals, it teaches independence, creativity, teamwork, confidence and life lessons that textbooks can’t provide. Del Val students deserve the opportunity to learn in a hands-on way that prepares them for life, careers and everything in between.