Nassau BOCES GC Tech Culinary Arts Instructor Chef Leonard Messina (left) guides GC Tech student bakers Paul Bluemke (center) and Jonathan Reyes-Lopez (right) from the Levittown UFSD in the creation of pies for the school’s holiday fundraiser. 

Culinary students at Nassau BOCES GC Tech raised $200 by baking and selling a variety of gourmet pies. The funds went to support scholarships for students participating in SkillsUSA, the national organization that prepares high school students to become leaders in the business world. Teen bakers, working under the guidance of Culinary Arts Instructor Chef Leonard Messina, created pies from scratch and sold them to Nassau BOCES staff and faculty. 

“Our students have done an incredible job,” said School Social Worker Tamara Ehrenfeld, who helped to oversee the fundraiser. “They feel empowered to be giving back to their school and raising money while doing what they love.”