{"id":276135,"date":"2026-05-19T04:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276135\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T04:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:12:12","slug":"wekiva-culinary-program-director-wins-2026-technology-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276135\/","title":{"rendered":"Wekiva Culinary program director wins 2026 Technology Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Christopher Bates, program director of\u00a0the Magnet Academy of Culinary Arts at Wekiva High School<\/a>, recently won the 2026 Technology Award from the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAF\u00c9).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis win is another example of the hard work Chef Bates puts into this program for his students,\u201d said Melissa Byrd, Orange County School Board District 7 member, in a text message to The Apopka Chief. \u201cHe is constantly striving to provide the Culinary Magnet students with every opportunity to grow their skills in a meaningful way that makes them workforce ready.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The award includes a $1,000 check, an opportunity for a profile in CAF\u00c9\u2019s e-magazine titled \u201cThe Gold Medal Classroom,\u201d andregistration\u00a0for CAF\u00c9\u2019s 2026 Deans & Directors Retreat and Leadership Conference in Chicago, according to the award letter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe follow some pretty unique and occasionally controlled chaos, crazy ideas that pop into my head, and we try them, and they work a lot of the time,\u201d Bates said\u00a0in a phone interview with the Chief. \u201cIt\u2019s just nice to see that the national organization that is dedicated to the advancement of culinary education sees what we\u2019re doing over here in this tiny little high school in Wekiva and recognizes it as being outstanding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Bates is most excited about winning an all-expense-paid three-day training conference at RATIONAL, which he calls \u201cthe best producer of intelligent ovens in the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just that you\u2019re going to do training \u2014 you\u2019re spending time with the people who designed it, who engineered it, who crafted the software that makes it work,\u201d Bates said. \u201cI\u2019m getting to pick the brains of the people who train like the executive chef for Ritz-Carlton \u2014 and Ritz-Carlton installs 500 of these ovens at\u00a0all of\u00a0their properties around the world \u2014 the executive chef goes and spends three days at the headquarters to learn how they can implement it.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the kind of training\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0going to get.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Bates, the three-day training brings him one step closer to his\u00a0ultimate goal\u00a0of opening the Food Science and Technology Training Center at Wekiva next fall. Through a $38,284 subsidy from RATIONAL and a $50,000 Kitchen Makeover Grant from the Florida Restaurant and Lodging\u00a0Association\u00a0Education Foundation (FRLAEF), Bates plans to bring two RATIONAL appliances to the training center: the\u00a0iCombi\u00a0Pro and the\u00a0iVario\u00a0Pro.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bates described the\u00a0iCombi\u00a0Pro as a \u201csmart oven\u201d and the\u00a0iVario\u00a0Pro as a \u201ctilt kettle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes it powerful and unique? Every square centimeter of the inside of both the oven and the tilt kettle\u00a0are\u00a0temperature-controlled independently of every single other one,\u201d Bates said. \u201cWhen you close the lid, you press a couple buttons, and you tell it what you\u2019re cooking, and it uses a bunch of sensors to figure out the density of each item, and then they apply just enough heat to cook that item and no more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Bates, receiving the three-day training and installing the devices at the school will\u00a0provide\u00a0students a significant advantage over their peers, particularly those seeking work in Orlando\u2019s hospitality industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two particular pieces of equipment, especially the oven, are the most common pieces of equipment at all of our theme parks here locally, all of our resorts, all of those giant convention halls,\u201d Bates said. \u201cWhen our kids graduate and they get one of those jobs, they\u2019re walking in, and they\u2019re being asked to work with equipment that, prior to this installation, they have never seen before\u2026 but if I send in a 17\/18-year-old kid, and they already know how to do it, and they can prove it, they instantly jump up a pay grade or two.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the center still needs approximately $18,000 in funding, Bates is optimistic about Wekiva Culinary\u2019s future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had a couple of amazing years, and we aren\u2019t halfway where we\u2019re hoping to be,\u201d Bates said. \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0still actively looking at how we can maximize opportunities for our students to grow, to learn, to be prepared for the industry and to do well in college, if\u00a0that\u2019swhere\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0headed. Our goals\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0changed \u2014 all\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0done has gotten bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Sarah loves watching rom-coms, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n

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