When the door to the culinary kitchen opened on the first day of school, the students froze. They had been expecting their old chef, but someone new was standing in front of them. When Chef Meredith Gann greeted the class, for a moment, the room fell silent, but then she walked up to the class and shared fun facts about herself, putting everyone at ease.
Gann brings 14 years of industry experience and six years of teaching to students.
Before joining RHS, Gann worked in various areas of the industry, including decorating wedding cakes and serving as a director at Chick-fil-A. She eventually moved into teaching so she could give students the “best real-world experience.”
“I thought, ‘hey, why don’t I try to teach the next generation of future chefs?’” Gann said.
She said was excited to join the magnet program because students apply to be a part of it compared to the two previous schools she worked at where anyone could join.
“Here the kids actually want to be in the program, and that makes a big difference,” Gann said.
Junior Maysun Choudhury, who has been in the program for three years, said the transition to a new teacher has gone smoothly, and she has noticed positive changes in the classroom. She said there is more excitement around the program with the change.
“It’s been more interactive,” Choudhury said. “We have been doing more with the school, the new events, catering and I have been enjoying it.”
Choudhury said she is excited about this year’s new projects, including spending more time working with pastries than last year and bringing back Grab-and-Go’s for teachers.
Junior Tiffany Nguyen said Gann’s teaching style makes the program more enjoyable. She was initially nervous about getting a new teacher, but she has already seen the benefits.
“She does critique hard, but she doesn’t make us feel bad about it,” Nguyen said. “She tells us nicely like ‘hey, next time maybe do this or that, just so that we know for future references.”
Nguyen said that working with Gann has given them more experience, allowing them to explore areas beyond culinary and learn about different cultural cuisines.
Gann said she hopes to build on existing traditions, such as catering softball games and working with local partners.
The program will continue to build while looking to expand with the potential $1.4B bond package that could include a restaurant.
“It would be super-cool to give the kids real-world experience,” Gann said.
For now, students said they are adjusting well to the new environment.
“She’s an amazing chef,” Choudhury said. “Honestly, she’s made the experience really comfortable for us.”
