From The Summit Daily:
It’s a rare moment when something isn’t happening in Summit High School’s culinary arts section — students coming and going, often with bags full of groceries, sounds of chopping, dicing and frying, and the smells of various dishes being prepared.
In the midst of it all is Terri Vantiger, acting as a calm, organizing presence at the center of constant movement. She knows exactly which ingredients and pieces of equipment go where, and keeps her senses sharply trained on the cooking process, quick to point out appropriate amounts of ingredients or if something is being overcooked.
It’s no wonder Vantiger appears at home here. She’s got 29 years of experience to back her up.
A clear path
It seems that teaching has always been in the cards for Vantiger.
“My mother will tell you that I made up my mind to be a teacher in the fifth grade. I came to her one time and said, ‘I want to be a home ec teacher,’” Vantiger said. “I always liked to sew and cook and do fashion, I’ve always enjoyed all of that. … My plans never changed from that.”
She credits her mother as her teacher in “life skills,” which included cooking, and said she was very fortunate to have supportive parents who encouraged her to follow her passion.
Vantiger started as a teacher in Walden, Colo., but after five years she took a detour in her education career. Moving across the country to Georgia, she took a job with King Shrimp, where she worked to create recipes for Red Lobster. Although the restaurant’s menu has changed since she was involved, Vantiger said, she remembers a big item that she had a hand in was developing a recipe for hot and spicy shrimp.
After five years in Georgia, Vantiger decided she was ready to return to the mountains. She moved to Summit County, where she has been ever since and doesn’t have plans to leave.
Summit High School hired Vantiger as a part-time home economics teacher, telling her she had one year to develop a full-fledged program. Vantiger welcomed the challenge and was ready for a full-time position the next fall.
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Read the full article at The Summit Daily.
Terri Vantiger offers some cooking tips to her students during one of their last classes this year. Vantiger originally started teaching Home Economics before developing the culinary arts program as it is known now. Vantiger has won many teaching and educator awards over the years, including most recently the Flame of Excellence. Photo credit: Summit Daily/Jessica Smith
Terri Vantiger is retiring after 29 years at Summit High School. The Culinary Arts teacher has won many awards over the years, including most recently the Flame of Excellence. Photo credit: Summit Daily/Jessica Smith
