What is Ulster BOCES?
Vincent Delgado

Ulster BOCES means different things to different people.

To Vincent Delgado, a former Career & Technical Center student, Ulster BOCES was a springboard to a college education at a prestigious university, despite facing the challenges of a learning disability. After maintaining a high-B average in the two-year Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts program, Vincent was awarded two scholarships and a grant from Johnson & Wales University, where Vincent is currently working toward his bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and nutritional science.

Learning was not always an easy task for Vincent; he was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in second grade. With a determination to succeed, and with great support from the Wallkill Central School District, Vincent worked hard to conquer the challenges presented by his disability. As a junior in 2003, he entered the Ulster BOCES Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts program where he further excelled.

It was no accident Vincent found himself pursuing a culinary career. In the seventh grade during his Home and Careers class taught by Lori Hughes at Wallkill’s John G. Borden Middle School, his interest was sparked. “I really liked cooking,” he recalls. “Soon I started cooking at home and helping out with making meals.” Then, when Vincent was in eighth grade, Aida DeQuatro, a teacher at the middle school and Vincent’s case manager, told the Delgado’s about the Ulster BOCES Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts program. From there, it was a recipe for success.

Vincent enjoyed learning culinary skills at the Career & Technical Center and truly looked forward to his classes. “I really liked the hands-on aspect of the classes. The chefs (his instructors Victor Arnao, Irene Powell, and Scott Young) were very well-rounded. They all brought a different aspect to the career and how to do things. I learned a lot from them. Plus, Mr. Arnao was very encouraging about my going to Johnson & Wales. He’s the one who told me that I was going there—even when I wasn’t sure—he was like ‘Vinny, you’re going.’” The support he received from his family and instructors inspired Vincent to achieve this goal. “Because culinary was something I really wanted to do, I worked really hard for it.” This determination paid off academically and Vincent was able to earn enough college credits for his high school work at the Career & Technical Center to skip an entire class in college. “That saved me time and money.”

Ulster BOCES helped give Vincent the foundational skills required in college. “It really gave me more of a basic knowledge so that when I went through my labs during my freshman year, I already knew what they were talking about. Taking the Culinary Arts program at Ulster BOCES gave me a great heads-up in college.”

His high school culinary training also gave Vincent a leg-up in the workforce. While still in high school, Vincent gained valuable experience in the culinary field at Gadaleto’s Fish Market in New Paltz; and just last summer he interned in the banquet kitchen at Westmoreland Country Club in Illinois. Currently, through Johnson & Wales, he is working on a three-month internship rotation cooking in the banquet kitchen at the Radisson Airport Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Once Vincent completes his associate’s degree in culinary arts this year, he is planning to continue his studies to achieve a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science. While Vincent enjoys cooking, he hopes to parlay his culinary training into a career in either food service management or the food research development field.

“The culinary arts world is a giant competition, and Ulster BOCES gave me a good jumpstart. I would highly recommend going there before college; they [colleges] like to see that students attended a vocational school. Every culinary college that we went to visit, one of the very first questions they asked was, ‘Do you have a BOCES program?’ and ‘Are you in it?’ For them, it means you are serious about the program. Attending the Career & Technical Center certainly gave me a good head start on culinary college and a career.”

The Ulster BOCES Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts program is one of the finest food preparation courses offered to high school students in New York State. It is designed to develop professional work habits and attitudes required by the hospitality industry.

Students learn the fundamentals of safety and sanitation through the operation of the on-campus training restaurant, the Seasons. Skills are developed in all aspects of food preparation utilizing the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation and Hospitality Business Alliance ProStart curriculum, which is designed to teach students the management and practical skills needed for a career in the restaurant and food service industry.

The students participate in paid internships and are mentored by industry professionals. Students gain experience cooking gourmet soups, sauces, salads, meat, poultry, seafood, meatless entrees, and desserts. The art of buffet preparation, garnishing, and plate composition is also an important aspect of the program.

For more information on the Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts program, contact the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center at (845) 331-6680.