Sizzle - Fall 2010

By Faith Jennetta, CEPC, baking instructor/program coordinator, Technology Center of DuPage, Addison, Ill.

Do you fish in your kitchen? Students at the Technology Center of DuPage, a career and technical education school located in Addison, Ill., do. As part of its sustainability curriculum, the school installed an aquaponics lab. Students learn about how their choices impact the planet and are shown options to become better stewards.

“It is a great opportunity for students to be introduced to the concept of sustainability and, even more importantly, the falsehood that sustainability means sacrifice,” says Edward Susmilch, principal.

“Too often we associate the concept of sustainability with some lowering of our standard of living,” says Susmilch. “It is not. Sustainability is about change. This project can teach that concept without beating the students over the head with some political rhetoric. It is smart long-term business.”

Where are the fish? Fish breed and live under the care of Brian Clement, landscape design and management instructor, and his students at the tech center just down the hall. The fish’s location introduces students to the concept of food miles, aquacultures and food respect.

Mary Boyd, assistant principal
of curriculum and instruction,
sees the aquaculture project as
an excellent chance for students
from the landscape and culinary
programs to explore animal
science and cooking together.
Landscape students teach culinary
students how to care for the
fish, and culinary students teach
landscape students how to butcher
and cook the fish. Together, they
enjoy the fruits of their labor. The
fish is also featured on the culinary
team’s competition menus and at
the student-operated Bistro, which
is open to the public for lunch.

Aquacultures The simplest way to explain a land-based aquaculture is to think “hot tub.” The school purchased three 500-gallon tanks that are used for breeding, growing and holding. The necessary water, electrical and installation requirements, along with licensing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, were completed. Automated feeders and backup generators were added to enhance performance.

Just add fish The species tilapia (Tswana for “fish”) was sourced from the University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill. Tilapia is the third most important fish in fish farming because of their large size, rapid growth, prolific breeding and palatability. They are the fifth most popular

Technology Center of DuPage

Katy Sullivan fishes out a tilapia from the aquaponics lab, which serves as a cross-curricular project for landscape and culinary students.

seafood consumed in the United States. A mature fish can be processed in skinless, boneless fillets with a yield of 30-37 percent. Tilapia is low in total fat, saturated fat, calories and mercury. Tilapia is an excellent source of phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B12 and potassium.

Tank to plate The curriculum provides students with the opportunity to see the whole picture — from tank to plate, says culinary instructor Matt Barker.

“Many of our students have
never eaten seafood before,
much less seafood as fresh as the
tilapia harvested right at our own
school,” Barker says. “During
this project, we teach students the
importance of choosing the right
seafood to eat and the different
methods of farming.”
The school leans on its professional
business partner, Mark Palicki, with
Fortune Fish Company, Chicago, for
professional guidance. He believes
there needs to be more public
awareness of aquacultures and how
they provide high-quality, healthy
proteins to our growing population.

“Technology Center of DuPage’s tilapia project is a great example of not only showing our students the future, but allowing them the hands-on experience to truly understand and appreciate it,” Palicki says.