From Staff Reports
Staff Writer
CLAREMORE —
When Tim Lang joined Karen Wilson’s Culinary Arts program at Northeast Technology Center his senior year in high school, he couldn’t have imagined where it would take him.
Lang had worked for Sonic and knew he enjoyed working in the food service industry, so decided to sign up for the Culinary class at NTC during his senior year at Inola high school.
While at NTC, Lang developed a passion for the Culinary Arts, and decided to take the plunge and continue his studies in culinary school.
Over the course of the past year, he has been living in Las Vegas, attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas.
For the culmination of his studies at the school, Lang has come home to fulfill his externship requirement at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
Going from his hometown of Inola, to Las Vegas was a big change for Lang. But the experience was an invaluable one to him, expanding his idea of what possibilities might be in store for him.
He will complete his externship at the Food Bank in about two months, and will then have completed his Associates in Occupational Science degree from Le Cordon Bleu.
After that, he intends to take online classes working toward his bachelor’s degree.
“Having someone like Tim working here [at the Food Bank] has proved to be a tremendous asset,” says Jonathan Haring, Director of Culinary Services at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Lang started at the Food Bank in mid-June.
Lang is trusted with many duties day to day, and might be creating desserts for a fundraising event in the morning, and helping dive in to prepare fresh food meals for Food Bank assistance recipients in the afternoon. No two days are alike.
The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma supports over 450 food distribution entities and serves 24 counties in Eastern Oklahoma. Their kitchen allows them to prepare fresh food and use the large amount of donated produce they receive every day. Over the last two years, the Food Bank has seen over a 40 percent increase in demand from those needing assistance.
The Food Bank is largely supported by generous private donations, charities, corporate donations, some government initiatives, and returns and donations from local grocery stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and more.
They are also supported by a large number of volunteers, who work to ensure that the Food Bank achieves its mission.
“We would have to hire 12 full-time staff members to match the total of all of the volunteer work we receive,” Haring said.
Last year, the Food Bank distributed 47,503 cooked meals, and this year will distribute over 54,000.
During his time at the Food Bank, Lang has worked in catering fundraising events, worked with the volunteers and helping coordinate their efforts, and more.
“It’s been great having Tim here,” Haring said,” because he knows what he’s doing and I can pretty much turn him loose on something and he does it well.”
For Lang, it’s been a fulfilling way to round out this past year of Culinary education.
“Being in the culinary arts never seems to get boring,” Lang said. “There are a lot of things you can do within the culinary field.”
As for future plans beyond his externship at the Food Bank, Lang has already begun working as a line cook in a local hotel kitchen, and plans to continue his culinary studies. Beyond that, the sky’s the limit.
“My biggest goal is to someday open my own restaurant featuring Caribbean cuisine,” he said. If the hard work and skill Lang has demonstrated so far in his culinary studies is any indication, then Lang has a good chance of seeing that goal become reality.
