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Interview with Chris Shaw by Michelle Carter Smith
Chris instructs and monitors students in both the school kitchen and cafeteria, overseeing:
*Set up of both cafeterias for breakfast and lunch each day
*Some of the food prep
*Serving of both breakfast and lunch
*Setup and then stocking of both salad bars
*Washing of all dishes
*General kitchen clean-up
There are no chairs in the kitchen and everything is very hands-on. If students are not in the kitchen, they are in the "Shaw Shack" located in the cafeteria, being taught from an updated curriculum for the Culinary Arts Program at the school. There are 3 different aspects of the program. First, he trains students in basic work skills, not necessarily specific to the food industry. He has them sweeping, cleaning, and scrubbing together, as a team to sharpen work habits and communication skills with one another. Secondly, he inspires students to have an interest in both food and cooking. He wants students to feel something about food that they have never felt before. Lastly, he teaches basic food skills for lifelong living. He wants them to be able to look into their pantry and understand how to "pull something together" for dinner. Chris says that participation is KEY. The expectation is for students to listen, and then become engaged with the process while working well with others. Students are required to get a food handler's card and can take the test at the school. They must also have their hair pulled back while in the kitchen and working around the food. Chris is currently working towards a professional CTE license. MESD is helping him to navigate the challenging process. The current program will become a certified program in three years.
Chris was born in San Diego. His father was enlisted in the Navy and after serving, his father moved the family to Mississippi. He attended college, getting a degree in landscape architecture. His mom was an administrator at a bank. When Chris was five years old, his family moved to Richmond, Va. Chris was an only child and was shy, playing soccer in his youth. His favorite memories as a child were spending time on his grandparent's farm in Mississippi each summer, horseback riding, fishing, working in the garden, and eating fresh food. Chris loved to spend hours cooking with his grandmother and working with his grandfather in his wood shop. In high school, Chris took a photography class and enjoyed it so much that he built a dark room in the family home! After graduation, Chris went to college in Mississippi to study landscape architecture. He had wanted to attend an art college, but it was not a possibility. After one year, Chris left school because his heart was not in it. He stayed in Mississippi to work as a photographer for the local newspaper. After meeting international students and parents of friends who had traveled abroad, Chris decided to move back home to Richmond and start working in restaurants. His first job was in a bakery in Carytown, making scones, sandwiches, and a variety of baked goods. He later went on to work at other bakeries, an Indian restaurant, and a handful of fine-dining restaurants. All of these experiences taught him a variety of food preparation and cooking skills. In 1995, Chris made a move to Portland and lived downtown. Greg Higgins, owner of Higgins restaurant, told him he needed more experience with specific Northwest food. Chris worked in a variety of restaurants to gain knowledge of local food and cooking styles. He then moved in 1996 to Corbett to work on an organic farm. He had a strong desire to grow a variety of organic foods. Chris met his wife Megan while she was working at the Blue House in Springdale, a local bakery. They began dating in 2000 and married in 2003 at her parent's home in Latourell. They rented a home on the Scenic Highway, across from Menucha for the first three years. Megan had gone to college to become a teacher while Chris began working at Multnomah Falls as a cook, first part-time and then full-time in 2002. He started as a line cook when going full-time and then became a sous chef in 2003, later becoming an executive chef. He worked at the restaurant for 20 years before covid hit and he was laid off. He connected with Seth Tucker at the Corbett School District and was hired in 2021 as a head cook. Megan and Chris bought a home in Troutdale in 2008 and eventually decided to make Corbett their home, purchasing Corbett Grade School principal, Michelle Dawkin's home! Chris and Megan have two children, Ethan (born in 2007) and Eleanor (born in 2010). They both attend school in Corbett where their mom has been a teacher for 18 years, teaching K-1. Chris and his family love to cook together and be active in the great outdoors. Chris says they are a cat family, with four cats, which all get lots of love and attention! The new position for Chris at the high school has given him the opportunity to inspire, challenge, and instruct the students in ways he is passionate about. He looks to encourage them to one day be good cooks and employees, wherever life may take them!