Culinary Arts students gain real life experience at wine festiva - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

The following is a summary of how the festival provided back to the community with the generosity of patrons:

2007   Columbia County Arts                $500

         Greater Augusta Arts                 $500

2008   Augusta Rose Society                $500

         Columbia County Arts                $500

2009   Columbia County Humane

         Society                                    $1000

2010   Augusta Technical College          $1500

         American Cancer Society            $1000

2011   Augusta Technical College          $2500

2012 To be presented – ATC                $2500

Original Story:

Aisha Heath was up early Saturday morning to push boxes of food into the back of a truck.

"It's going to be a long day but it's all worthwhile," Heath, said.

Heath said she along with 10 other culinary arts students from Augusta Tech are looking forward to a, "busy day, busy day in the kitchen."

Hours before the Columbia County Culinary and Wine Festival began; Heath and her classmates started making food for the 300 people they would soon be serving.

The students aren't cooking for class or credit; instead they're volunteering their Saturday for the experience of working the kitchen for a large crowd. 

"People love to eat, people love good food, people just love to interact with each other," said Heath.

She has big dreams and hopes the experiences she gained Saturday will pay off down the road.

Heath said, "It gives me practice for when I go into the restaurant business myself; I'll already know how to do it," Heath continued saying, "I have a dream of owning a jazz lounge and restaurant downtown, because I love to sing and cook."

Her instructor, Chef Kathleen Fervan said the festival gives the students a great opportunity for visibility, "That will help her in a big way because she's networking, meeting a lot of other people and possibly people who are looking to invent in something of that nature and just seeing her in action."

Fervan says without her students work in the kitchen and from the serving table the festival wouldn't be possible.

"We definitely need the students," Fervan, said.  

And the students, such as Heath need the experience.

"It's worth it," said Heath.

The proceeds from the event will go to an endowment fund for culinary arts. Fervan says that will provide scholarship money for her students in the future.