SAN DIEGO, CA — Students from Poway Unified School District’s Kitchen tABLE Academy were treated to an afternoon of culinary lessons on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Sysco Poway. With Chef Henry Tran leading the session, students were trained across contracting a well-balanced salad with a variety of healthy options and creating pizzas with their favorite toppings.
Chef Tran began the session with walking students through building a salad, choosing toppings and their dressing of choice, and properly mixing the meal together. After students had their fill of the appetizer, they were brought back to the counter to layout out their personal pizzas. From spreading tomato sauce across pizza dough to showering shredded cheese on top and picking out whether to top it off with pepperoni, bacon, and peppers and onions. After a quick 30-minute bake in the oven, students were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, before topping the afternoon off with a freshly-baked cookie.
The Kitchen tABLE Academy, a culinary program within PUSD’s adult transition program, provides a full curriculum for students with autism and developmental disabilities, offering a vocational pathway to culinary, nutrition, smart farming, and green waste industries. The program has a full-functioning kitchen, allowing students to train and go on to use their skills to their full advantage.
The program’s goal is to hire students to work in its kitchen or future cafe and train students, while encouraging other employers to join the program’s mission of providing employment to special education students. Many former student have found full employment opportunities as a direct result of their participation in the Kitchen tABLE Academy.
Friday’s session was organized in partnership with Reed Reichert of the Kiwanis Club of Los Rancheros, which supports mentorship of high school students among its many goals across the Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Mountain Ranch, and 4S Ranch communities.