VGCC Culinary students’ summer tour included Angus Barn

Students in Vance-Granville Community College’s Culinary Arts program have been busy this summer getting an up-close view of their chosen profession by visiting three area institutions.

Chef Ross Ragonese, who heads the college’s Culinary program , accompanied a group of his students to the Angus Barn Restaurant in Raleigh in late June. Angus Barn owner/operator Van Eure, her husband, Steve Thanhauser, and other staff members gave students insight into how the award-winning steakhouse operates and is organized. The VGCC group included (pictured above, from left) Culinary students Kevin Fabretti of Creedmoor, Thomas Henderson of Warrenton, Shannon Hayes of Creedmoor, Kevin Hartman of Oxford, Leticia Mendez of Durham, Natalie Baily of Henderson, Kevin Zeher of Raleigh, Diminique Liles of Henderson, Amber Williams of Oxford, Rodney Yancey of Henderson, Brandon Brown of Henderson, Tracey Washburn of Oxford, Ragonese and student Esther Chavis of Oxford.

In addition to the Angus Barn, students also made trips to Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson and to the Magnolia Manor in Warrenton, a historic home that caters and hosts weddings and other special events. “By touring a top-notch restaurant, a hospital and a catering operation, our students got to learn about three very different types of employers, each of which is a good example of the types of businesses where they will find jobs after they graduate,” Ragonese said. Even in today’s economy, Ragonese said that there is constant, worldwide demand for quality culinary professionals.

The two-year Culinary Arts degree program, based at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, prepares students for entry-level professional positions in food service and hospitality. For more information about the program, call Chef Ross Ragonese at (919) 690-0312.