EPCC culinary students to debut garden-grown dishes at fall home show

The El Paso Community College culinary arts program will showcase original dishes featuring ingredients from the college's garden and apiary at the upcoming El Paso Fall Home & Garden Show, according to KVIA.

The program will prepare mushroom pasta and honey cauliflower wings using mushrooms and honey produced on campus. EPCC recently launched mushroom cultivation and opened an apiary—a collection of beehives for honey production—as part of new ecosystem projects.

Chef Edgar Morales, a culinary instructor at EPCC, said the hands-on experience teaches students the full cycle of food production. "It's important for the students here to understand how tightly and how deeply we depend on the agricultural system," Morales told KVIA. "When it's time to harvest either the honey or the vegetables and the fruits, they get to see the rewards of all their hard work."

This marks the culinary school's second year participating in the garden show. Morales said the event provides a platform to promote the culinary program and encourage gardeners to cultivate sustainable plants.

On Thursday, EPCC chefs demonstrated the fresh ingredients and cooking techniques they will use at the show, according to KVIA.