By Kim Cotton

Staff writer

PORT ST. LUCIE - Delicious smells permeate the air at St. Lucie West Centennial High School. The smells come from the culinary arts classroom, where students get hands-on experience preparing all kinds of dishes, from salads to barbequed chicken to cheesecake.

Leading students in the quest to perfect their cooking skills is Chef Calvin Lewis. He was recently named ProStart Teacher of the Year by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association's Educational Foundation at an event in Orlando last month.

"It's a great honor," Mr. Lewis said. "We have a real solid program here."

Mr. Lewis, who grew up in Palm Beach County, got his start in the food industry out of necessity. His dad kicked him out of the house when he was 15 years old, and Mr. Lewis worked to stay out of trouble.

"Rather than hit the streets, I got a place in a rooming house, and worked in the kitchen of an elderly care home," Mr. Lewis said. "There, I worked my way through the kitchen. When I got to college, I was the burger person at the Dairy Queen.

"Food was a survival tool and I started to pick it up," he added.

As a sophomore at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Mr. Lewis ran the campus food court. He attended the college on a swimming and diving scholarship, while getting his bachelor's degree in education and business.

After college, Mr. Lewis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and was stationed in London. There he met his future wife, Margaret, while apprenticing with her father, Daniel King, a renowned chef from the West Indies.

In 1984, Mr. Lewis, his wife and their young son returned to Florida, where he worked at Jupiter High School as a social studies teacher, while also cooking at a Marriott hotel restaurant.

It was after he cooked for a barbeque in St. Lucie County when he was offered a job teaching culinary arts at Fort Pierce Central High School. While at Central, Mr. Lewis was named Teacher of the Year for the 2000-2001 school year.

A little more than three years ago, Mr. Lewis heard about an opening in the culinary arts program at Centennial High School, and he jumped at the chance to switch schools.

"At Central, I didn't have a kitchen," Mr. Lewis said. "I wanted a kitchen, so I applied and came here."

In addition to cooking, Mr. Lewis coaches soccer and track at the high school.

Since coming to Centennial High School, Mr. Lewis has energized students, who continually place in the top 20 percent at cooking competitions.

"He's very hands-on," said senior Kristin Bianchi, 17. "He tries to prepare you for college."

"He's very professional in the way he teaches," added senior Jillian Wulf, 17. "He doesn't do a lot out of boxes. Everything is homemade."

Upper level students spend class time in the kitchen, preparing meals for teachers, athletic teams and special events. Freshmen handle easier items to prepare, Mr. Lewis said, because safety is the main topic for the first-year students.

"Safety is key with freshmen," he said.

Students plan the menus and make the dishes.

"They have to run it," Mr. Lewis said. "If I do it, they don't learn."

He also helps students prepare for life after high school. While he acknowledges that not everyone will go on to become a chef, Mr. Lewis said his class prepares students for the real world.

"The art of cooking doesn't belong to chefs," Mr. Lewis said. "It belongs to those who love to cook."

One former student at Central High School, Jesse Strell, is now also serving as the second culinary arts teacher at Centennial High School.

Mr. Lewis said since he struggled with life as a teen, he can relate to his students. They say his efforts have had an impact on their lives.

"He treats everyone as individuals," Jillian Wulf said. "We feel very comfortable asking him questions.

"It's like working with a family," she added.