Keith Andreasen, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Culinary Arts Program Director, participated in a 10-day immersion study in Costa Rica this summer to learn about local cuisine, sustainability practices, culture and language.
Andreasen travelled with 11 other Culinary Arts and Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) educators from high schools and colleges across the region. Travelers visited various communities and points of interest in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, learning about local food, local customs and traditions, culinary language and sustainability practices.
Andreasen hopes that his experience learning about Costa Rica’s global sustainability practices can be applied in the local classroom and passed along to local students. “I enjoyed learning about how the sustainable movement is global and what to do in our part of the world,” said Andreasen. “I’ve spoken with all of our culinary instructors at CCC&TI and we plan on purchasing locally for our classes and the program as much as possible – products from Caldwell and Watauga County, from North Carolina, from the East Coast, or from the USA.”
