Prospective culinary crafters got more than just a mouthful of a new dish Tuesday, Oct. 28, as Newport High School’s kitchen played host to the newest installment of “Teaching with the CIA,” a live feed cooking demonstration show put on by the Culinary Institute of America.

The program, which showcases student opportunities at the colleges various campuses, was broadcast to other schools in the state that participate in Prostart, the National Restaurant Association’s high school education foundation.

Chef David Ivey-Soto a former CIA instructor, guided the students in the classroom and those watching live online, through the process of preparing salmon gravlax, a curing technique for proteins.

He also encouraged them to utilize all five of their senses when preparing food and not to be afraid to try new ideas.

“Cook with abandon,” Ivey-Soto said. “Chefs don’t make mistakes, they just come up with new recipes.”

Each of the students are getting a head start on a potential career by being in the Prostart classes, something he wishes would have been available when he went through high school.

“It’s setting the trajectory for them, giving them a head start ahead of the competition,” he said. “If you know what you need to learn, it makes it a lot easier to know how to learn it.”

Chef Mitchell Mayers is living proof of the success of both Newport High School and the CIA, according to his former high school teacher chef, Tracy Green.

About a decade ago Mayers was one of Green’s first students when the program launched at Newport. After being accepted to the CIA and Cornell, Mayers was chosen as a management trainee for Hillstone Restaurant Group working in Miami for several years before moving to Denver and hired as an executive chef.Recently he and his fiancee moved the Pacific Northwest where he started working as a cook for Lark restaurant in Seattle.

On Tuesday, Mayers returned to Newport, an accomplished chef, to teach them how he makes one of his favorite dishes, parsnip potato gnocchi with crispy guanciale, chanterelles and quince chutney.

The reunion was a proud moment for Green.

“Often times you may not ever hear from your students, or about how they’re doing, but there’s something about food. They want to keep sharing what they’re doing,” Green said. “Seeing Mitchell up there cooking was special. I thought I was going to cry. It’s really rewarding.”

Mayers said that between what he learned at Newport and CIA, he felt truly prepared to handle whatever food fiasco found him.

“I wouldn’t be here without this education,” Mayers told the Reporter. “It builds such a strong foundation. You may not be a master at any one skill, but you’ll certainly know how to do all of them.”

The Culinary Arts Hospitality Training program is open to all students in the Bellevue School District and neighboring districts. While many of the students may pursue other interests beyond cooking, Green and Mayers said they learn valuable life lessons.

Newport seniors Mimi Taqieddin and Paul Tomlinson, both 17, agreed saying the class has opened all their senses to food combinations they never dreamt of.”I used to be very picky about what I ate. I absolutely hated asparagus,” Tomlinson said. “But Mrs. green made it one day with almonds and olive oil and now I can’t get enough of it.”

For Taqieddin, her culinary pursuit stems from her mother’s experience working in restaurants and her father’s Middle Eastern heritage.

“I’ve always liked food and it’s been a huge staple for me and my family,” she said. “There’s just something about cooking for other people.”