Competition students celebrating their WIN

Greetings Culinary Students, Parents, and Guardians,

My name is Chef Christopher Bates, Lead Instructor and Program Director of the Magnet Academy of Culinary Arts at Wekiva High School, and it is my great pleasure to welcome all our returning and incoming students back to the kitchen!

This school year is especially momentous as we celebrate our 10-Year Anniversary! Over the past decade, our students have accomplished AMAZING things, solidifying our program’s reputation across the state and country as a premier culinary magnet. We remain proud to be ranked a top culinary school in the State of Florida and one which has received a LOT of national recognition.

Thanks to our ongoing work building strong industry partnerships, we are thrilled to announce that we are installing over $140,000 in new commercial kitchen equipment this year! This major investment directly enhances your student’s daily learning experience—giving them hands-on access to modern, state-of-the-art technology, expanding our culinary and baking capabilities, and ensuring they train on the exact tools used in top-tier professional kitchens.

This year, your student will master food safety & sanitation, commercial kitchen operations, hospitality management, cutting-edge food science, and restaurant-quality cooking techniques. Culinary Arts is an exciting, hands-on course, but because we operate a commercial-grade kitchen, strict standards and safety procedures must be established before any student uses a ten-inch chef’s knife or lights a torch—regardless of how many years they have been in our program.

I know most families don’t study every line of start-of-year paperwork, so I have distilled what it takes to succeed into Chef Bates’ 10 Commandments For Getting an “A” in Culinary. The “Commandments” provide a clear snapshot of our syllabus, uniform expectations, and safety rules. Please review the “Commandments” at the top of the Syllabus and Course Guide.

To streamline our process this year, we have replaced our multi-page paper packet with a single Master Student Intake & Policy Agreement Form. Full digital copies of our complete Syllabus, Kitchen Conduct & Safety Contract, and Uniform Guidelines are available anytime on Canvas and at wekivaculinary.org.

Please complete and sign the Master Student Intake & Policy Agreement Form along with your student, and return it with the required program supply fee payment within your student’s first week of school. RETURNING THIS SIGNED FORM IS AN INITIAL GRADE IN THE COURSE AND IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Staying connected is essential to your student’s success. Here are several ways we partner with families throughout the year:

  • ADDitions Volunteers: We welcome parent volunteers in our kitchen! Whether you can spare two hours or a full day, your help with lab setups and special catered events is invaluable. Email us if you would like to volunteer.
  • 24-Hour Email Communication: Chef instructors respond to all parent emails within 24 business hours. Please reach out as soon as a question or concern arises.
  • Canvas & Skyward Parent Portals: Monitor grades, assignment deadlines, and scheduled lab days by logging into Canvas using your parent credentials. You can monitor posted grades in Skyward as well—just contact your student’s guidance counselor for your personal login credentials.
  • Website, Social Media & Newsletter: Visit wekivaculinary.org and our Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube channels. Be sure to check your email for our monthly newsletter featuring program highlights, upcoming events, and special food sales prepared by our advanced students.
  • Semi-Annual Phone Check-Ins: Culinary instructors at Wekiva Culinary make a personal commitment to call every parent/guardian at least twice a year (midway through Semester 1 and Semester 2). We also welcome parent-teacher conferences whenever requested.

We are looking forward to an exceptional, landmark year of learning, growth, and accomplishment!

Warm regards,

Lead Instructor & Program Director

Magnet Academy of Culinary Arts | Wekiva High School

christopher.bates@ocps.net | (407) 297-4900 ext. 6192628