Last fall we told you about plans to open a new state of the art culinary facility on the campus of Morse High School. The $3.2 million project in the Skyline neighborhood was funded in part by a voter approved bond measure in 2008.
The grand reopening for the Hungry Tiger marks an end and a new beginning for Morse High school's culinary arts program. Its also senior Laly Martinez's last few weeks to sharpen her skills before going off to culinary school to become a chef.
"I've tasted the food yes and it's really good," she said.
Martinez says students really like the tiger muffin breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and meat. It's named after the school's mascot. And teachers go for the turkey panini with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto.
"It's a restaurant kind of feeling and environment so students can get used to it. They learn hospitality and how to treat people when it comes to culinary arts," Martinez said.
The Hungry Tiger has been teaching kids and serving up food on this high school campus southeast of downtown San Diego since 1971. Instructor Sara Piatt says there's also a connection between science and the culinary arts.
"Absolutely, I think most people think about medicine when they think about science, but the food industry hires more scientists than any other industry in the world. So maybe they get excited when they see that chemical reaction of bread rising and decide they want to go into the science part of it," Piatt said.
Thanks to San Diego voter approved Proposition S and a matching state grant four years ago, a new auto body shop with modern equipment was also buil, along with a child development center on the Morse High campus.
