Lakeland, FL --
A difficult job market means students should have as many skills as possible.
However, some high school students are already ahead of the game.
Brandon Martin is a senior and a well known football player at Lakeland Senior High School.
But in Kimberly Martinez's classroom, he's a chef.
The culinary arts student recently demonstrated to younger students how to cook a coffee rub pork chop served with fried rice. The pork chop recipe sounded odd, but in the end, the creation was a hit. Martin prepared the dish in a skillet. Before rubbing the meat with instant coffee, he marinated the meat overnight using a zip lock bag. It only took about 30 minutes to cook the next day.
"I like being able to experiment using something that you normally wouldn't put together that comes out with something pretty good," Martin said.
Martin just applied to the art institute and also plans on applying to other culinary schools.
Martinez knows not every student will embrace the world of cooking in her classroom. However, she knows each student will leave her classroom with skills they can use forever.
"Cooking is a life skill," Martinez said. "We all have to eat. Its something that he (Martin) and all of my students can learn from."
