News
The Staff and Students of Rancho Cielo are constantly learning, participating in the community at large, and making a difference.
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Culinary Round Up Live Auction Preview
Rancho Cielo opens new center
Building projects are now complete at the Rancho Cielo campus.
The school cut the ribbon on the new Ted Taylor Ag Vocational Center on Thursday.
Read the full story by Josh Copitch on KSBW.com .
Server of the Week: Hector
Congratulations to our Server of the Week, Hector.
The Drummond Culinary Academy dining room guests had lots of positive things to say about Hector:
“Hector’s smile lights up the room!”
“Hector is a Keeper!”
“Hector is a Winner!”
“Love the waiter [Hector]. And the polenta was SO delicious!”
“Hector was so impressive – friendly, knowledgeable and confident – like a pro! His recommendations were perfect. From the warm greeting by the students through the entire meal….it was amazing.”
Great job, Hector!
Congrats to Carla, DCA Server of the Week!
Congrats to our very first Server of the Week-- Carla!
She has been working very hard in the Front of the House and is very deserving of this recognition.
Our guests also had fantastic things to say about the service they received from Carla at the Drummond Culinary Academy Dining Room:
“Carla was very self-assured and friendly.”
"She has a great personality and ensures that her customers have what they need."
"Very friendly and informative."
Great job, Carla!
Edible Notables: Ranch Lessons
Chef Estevan Jimenez reaches up into a mature fruit tree in Rancho Cielo’s organic garden and pulls down a Santa Rosa plum, dark red, round and ripe. He bites into it and it takes him back to his childhood.
“It’s one of the first tastes I remember,” says Jimenez, who grew up in the Central Valley to immigrant parents. His mother worked in a packing shed and brought fruit home for the family. For Jimenez, the memories are as sweet and poignant as that plum.
Now, Jimenez—whom everyone calls EJ—works with at-risk young people...
Growing AgTech Industry Inspires New Course At Salinas Nonprofit
Rancho Cielo is a nonprofit in Salinas that offers at-risk youth the chance to prepare for jobs in a range of industries, from culinary to construction. Their newest program trains youth to work in the growing AgTech sector.
In a classroom on the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, students complete an assignment for the new Agriculture Processing and Mechanics course. It’s a new 10-month course that began this August. Jessiah Ramirez says it’s already changed his life.
Read the full story by Michelle Loxton at kazu.org .
Community college education is evolving – along with the jobs it’s training students for.
The ag industry’s appetite for skilled workers is also being filled by another institution. At a distance of 20 minutes by car from Alisal is the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, a school for underserved and disconnected youth. Earlier in August, Rancho Cielo opened the Ted Taylor Ag Vocational Center, becoming the third such training hub, in addition to a construction academy and a culinary academy. (These programs each enroll up to 40 students at time.)
Read the full story by Asaf Shalev on MontereyCountyWeekly.com .
DCA students assisted chefs at Markon's Chef Summit
Markon hosted their Chef Summit at Rancho Cielo this past July. Drummond Culinary Academy students assisted chefs and gained valuable firsthand experience from leaders in the field.
Read more about the event here:
Chefs convene at Markon summit to focus on plant-forward dishes
Rancho Cielo aims to grow ag-tech skills for Salinas-area youth with new program
A fresh crop of students will spend the next 10 months learning to fix and maintain industrial food processing equipment as part of a new Rancho Cielo program that started Tuesday.
The Ted Taylor Ag-Vocational Center will train students at a new building with classrooms and a replica of a food-processing plant's floor and refrigeration unit so students learn hands-on, said Susie Brusa, CEO of Rancho Cielo.
Read the full story by Joe Szydlowski in the Salinas Californian here .