Johnson Leads Students In Culinary Efforts

Zane Johnson, a 2004 graduate of Mountain View High School, is now a culinary arts instructor whose students are taking food prep to new heights.

Johnson is going into his 10th year as an instructor at Northeast Arkansas Career and Technical Center (NACTC) in Jonesboro. High school students in his program recently won first place in a NASA culinary challenge designed to develop food for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

This is the second year students of the program have competed in the NASA challenge, which involves following very strict nutritional guidelines with the added component of figuring micronutrients and how these affect the body in zero gravity.

This year’s theme was for a savory breakfast item with vegetables. Johnson said the students created an egg dish, but had to figure out how it could be processed because raw eggs are not transported to space.

“There are very specific things you have to think about,” he said.

After preliminary competitions, finalists were invited to Johnson Space Center in Houston where their work was judged by NASA representatives. In addition to perfecting a dish, competitors also produced detailed research papers to show their understanding of the science and nutrition, and created a video to show the process and procedures used.

He will accompany the three students who won the NASA competition to the American Culinary Federation National Convention in Phoenix in July.

Johnson teaches three classes per day involving 65-80 students per year.

ecause Johnson may have students only an hour or two each day, special projects such as the competition involve extensive time outside of school hours.

Johnson’s students compete in various other competitions such as culinary arts skills, baking, and customer service.

Read the full story in the June  12 issue.