Explore culinary career pathways, partnership opportunities, and sponsorship options with Wekiva Culinary’s award-winning high school program in Apopka, FL.
Culinary Career Pathways & Partnerships | Wekiva Culinary, Apopka FL
Ten Years of Culinary Excellence
Explore culinary career pathways, partnership opportunities, and sponsorship options with Wekiva Culinary’s award-winning high school program in Apopka, FL.
Every professional kitchen in America runs on commercial-grade equipment โ the kind our students will be expected to be comfortable operating on day one working in a commercial restaurant, hotel, or bakery. Right now, 36 students in each class are sharing equipment built for a fraction of that number, and some of our labs are still training on tools a decade behind what our graduates will work with in their future careers.
Here’s exactly what closes that gap โ broken down by what it costs and what it makes possible. Whether you cover a $100 course fee for one student or fund the $41,822 oven our bakery program will run on for the next fifteen years, every gift below buys something specific, immediate, and real.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Blodgett XR8-E Electric Mini Rotating Rack Bakery Convection Oven with Stand | $41,822.46 |
| Alto-Shaam 1200-SK DX Full-Height Cook and Hold Smoker Oven with Deluxe Controls | $15,711.30 |
| Vaddio DocCAM 20 HDBT OneLINK Bridge System | $7,200 |
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Mercer Competition Knife Kit (6) | $315 each |
| Vollrath 40756 10 Qt. Commercial Planetary Stand Mixer (6) | $2,170.20 each |
| Robot Coupe R2B Food Processor (1) | $1,200 |
| Waring Commercial Xtreme Blender (4) | $445 each |
| Sharp Medium Duty Commercial Microwave (2) | $330 each |
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Competition student sponsorship | $1,000 each |
| One-semester (4-month) internship sponsorship for one student | $500 |
| Course fee scholarship for one student | $100 |
You may choose to fund a specific item or let us direct your gift to the area of greatest need.
The Wekiva Culinary Fund supplements the resources available to Wekiva High School and improves learning opportunities for students pursuing career and technical education in Hospitality and the Culinary Arts. It’s overseen by an Advisory Board of local community, education, and business leaders, alongside school administrators, parents, students, and the Program Director.
All donations are fully tax-exempt and go only toward your donor-designated project or program.
Adopt one of our programs, cover the full cost of implementation, and receive recognition through media releases, naming rights, and print/web advertising.
Programs currently seeking a Presenting Sponsor:
Choose a program you’d like to support and target your gift to have the greatest impact on the cause you’re most passionate about.
For naming rights, in-kind donations, or the OCPS W9 form, contact Chef Bates directly at christopher.bates@ocps.net or (407) 297-4900 ext 6192628.
The three types of forms Donors and Supporters might need to give to Wekiva Culinary: W-9, Tax Exempt Certificate, and Offline Donor Form
Our donors have transformed the Wekiva Culinary program over the past few years into something remarkable. We appreciate each gift and recognize their generosity.
Advisory Board members in attendance: Alex Erdmann, Melissa Byrd, David Hough, Michele Erickson, Jennifer Campopiano, Samuel Bates, Rhonda Young, Anthony Thorpe, Sandy Pfau, Bryan Nelson, with students Clay Reeves, Kate Campopiano, and Jamiah Courvoisier NOTES…