New culinary teacher Mike Lit wants students to learn how to “eat well, cook well and be well,” and despite the challenge of starting in the second quarter, he is taking his passion for teaching and background in the gastronomic arts to the students.

Lit, or Chef Mike as he prefers to be called, is the new face of Culinary II as of Oct. 20. However, he previously taught at Olympia High School and was the founder of the program there.

“I started the culinary program over there,” said Lit. “[But] we only did maybe two things that whole first quarter in my last school.”

Outside of the classroom, Lit has done more than sample a professional culinary career. As an executive chef at numerous fine dining restaurants and upscale hotels, including the Ritz Carlton, Lit has tasted it all. 

“My last job was Dart Incorporated.” Lit said. ”[I was] executive chef for their entire corporate headquarters building.”

Chef Mike is both local and highly qualified within the kitchen and the classroom. He has an undergraduate education degree from UCF, as well as a culinary degree from Valencia College. He works at Valencia as a professor of Culinary arts.

Lit’s decision to join the school was driven by the school’s dedication to its culinary arts program. It combines two of his passions: cooking and teaching. So when he heard about the job opening for this role from a student, he pounced on the opportunity.

“I was looking for a new school to be a part of,” said Lit. “I love everything about Hagerty, so I wanted to come and have an interview.”

As for first impressions, they seem to be all-around positive. The school’s support system especially impressed him.

“The expectations are above what I thought originally,” Lit said. “[Hagerty has] good funding and support where [hagerty] can cook every week, all the classes. That is a big, big difference.”

Already planning future culinary creations, Lit is prepared to make this year of Culinary II as fun and educational as possible.

“Well, next week, [we are] going to be doing a pumpkin-carving contest. This week, we’re doing focaccia bread with toppings, and then the week after [next], we’re going to be doing pumpkin ravioli,” Lit said.

But the class is not all just fun-and-games. It also teaches kitchen and food safety, cooking skills, recipes, techniques and more.

“We’re just learning techniques,” Lit said. “We’re learning how to cook. We are learning how to understand and read recipes and know which ones we can kind of combine and meld together. You don’t have to just be stuck with doing one thing.”

With a setup that more resembles a kitchen than a classroom, Lit has plans on how to run it safely and efficiently.

“I’m the chef, [the students] are my employees,” Lit said. “I’m not a teacher. I’m [the] chef. So, rules in the kitchen and rules in school [are] very much similar,” said Lit. “It’s a fun class. And I’m all in with all the students.”

With ingredients for success, Lit is prepared to bring his cutting-edge knife skills and passion for cooking into the classroom, to bring another year of food and fun to Culinary II students.