The halls of buildings 6 and 7 smelled like autumn this week as students in the culinary program traded their kitchen tools for carving tools during the annual pumpkin-carving event.

This fun seasonal activity quickly turned into a festive competition of creativity, teamwork and a few pumpkin guts along the way. Groups brainstormed, coming up with a diverse range of ideas, drawing inspiration from iconic Halloween shows, movies and figures. All Culinary levels, I through IV, participated. 

After the brainstorming phase, students sketched designs directly onto the pumpkins with markers, ensuring their visions came to life as planned. Gutting the pumpkin was a fan favorite as well as an essential step in the pumpkin-carving process. After that came the carving itself, using tools like saws, scoops and scrapers to shape their pumpkins. 

“My group drew inspiration from the new season of ‘Stranger Things,’ creating a pumpkin that looked like one of the monsters,” Culinary II student Alex Droste said. “It was messy but really fun to work together and see it turn out even better than we expected.”

Chef Mike Lit, the new Culinary II teacher, planned the activity in order to encourage students to blend theur creativity with practical skills. This is one of Lit’s first major activities as a teacher here. Once the pumpkins were complete, they were displayed in the classroom, awaiting judgment.

“It’s one of those activities that brings everyone together,” Culinary III student Sophia Wattles said. “You get to show off your skills, and it doesn’t feel like an assignment.”

The annual pumpkin-carving event once again proved that culinary students are not just talented in the kitchen, they are artists too.