“It blew me away because we have worked really hard…it just was very fulfilling,” said Kristina Dahl, the director of Hospitality and Culinary Education, with obvious pride.

Students get hands-on learning at Helms College through Edgar’s Hospitality Group. The group’s 6-acre educational farm provides fresh ingredients directly to the restaurants, giving students an authentic farm-to-table experience.

On December 4, the college’s “Dinner with the Chef” event allowed current students to showcase their culinary skills to prospective students. They prepared a gourmet meal featuring traditional favorites like homemade pasta with Bolognese sauce, fresh Caesar salad with homemade croutons, and creamy chocolate mousse.

The school attracts all kinds of students eager to refine their cooking abilities. The 50-something-year-old Brian Mills enrolled to learn how to cook healthy meals for his wife during her recovery from gastric surgery due to cancer. “I’ve got to keep her around,” says Mills, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Meanwhile, just out of Augusta University, Mark Adams wants to carry on his family’s restaurant business from McCormick, South Carolina, drawing inspiration to enroll in cooking classes from his father’s ambitions.

With support from Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, Helms College offers more than just cooking classes. They run medical training and hospitality programs, and they’re getting ready to launch an HVAC training program, proving it’s a valuable resource to the Augusta community.