Chef Brian Yanish breads chicken during his presentation at Valley City High School Friday morning. (Sheila Anderson/VCTR)

By Sheila Anderson
Valley City Times-Record

Students in Foods II class at Valley City High School didn’t seem to mind having chicken parmigiana for breakfast.
Chef Brian Yanish of Sabir’s shared his secrets with the students of Sharon Anundson on Friday morning as part of a Food Careers Unit.
Yanish received a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts at the French culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu in Saint Paul, Minn., following a brief stint at Valley City State University.
Yanish said after high school he went to VCSU to become a teacher like everyone else he knew. While at VCSU, Yanish began working at Sabir’s.
“I loved it,” Yanish said. “I quit college and started working for Nam full-time.”
Yanish said the coursework at Le Cordon Bleu was intense. Students study general education courses as well as culinary classes. Each class lasts six weeks.
During his coursework, he wore a special chef’s coat, black and white checkered pants, a skull cap, and a cravat (tie). Students at Le Cordon Bleu learned specific information about cuts of meat, food safety, and even different types of knife cuts.
“We had to debone a chicken without breaking the skin,” Yanish said. “Nobody else does it but the French.”

For full story, see Tuesday's edition of the Valley City Times-Record. 

Students in Sharon Anundson’s Foods II class reap the rewards of the demonstration by Sabir’s chef Brian Yanish. (Sheila Anderson/VCTR)