It’s only David Dawson-Bowman’s first month at Los Altos High School, yet he’s already a familiar face for many students.
Before teaching Culinary Arts I at LAHS, Dawson-Bowman taught English at Egan Junior High School — the middle school many current LAHS students attended. Even before that, Dawson-Bowman ran a jewelry manufacturing business in Scotland. When he relocated to the U.S. in 2014, he shifted careers, earning a master’s in education and becoming a teacher.
Though Dawson-Bowman loved teaching middle school English, only keeping each of his students for two years was a downside.
“I really wanted to see these students develop a little bit more, but I didn’t,” Dawson-Bowman said. “After eighth grade, I wouldn’t see them again.”
As he moved on from his English teaching career, teaching culinary at LAHS was an obvious next step — his wife, Keren Dawson-Bowman, has taught English at LAHS for many years. Cooking has also always been a large part of Dawson-Bowman’s life. Growing up in Scotland with six siblings, he’s helped in the kitchen since childhood.
“My grandfather, grandmother and my mother influenced me greatly in cooking,” Dawson-Bowman said. “I love cooking, and I’ve always done it.”
Despite being a cook his whole life, teaching culinary in a Career Technical Education (CTE) program was entirely different. CTE classes are aligned with the relevant industries and are designed to help students transition to either further technical education or the workforce after graduation.
“Everything that we have here is very commercial,” Dawson-Bowman said. “The procedures we follow are exactly what you’d see in the industry.”
To help gain experience in commercial kitchens and earn his credential, Dawson-Bowman took a weekend job at a bakery for several years. Now, he is excited to bring both his technical skills and dedication to his students to the CTE program at LAHS.
Dawson-Bowman also wants to share opportunities with students beyond the kitchen. For example, he hopes to invite his boss from his bakery job to teach students about professional work.
“Hopefully, she’ll show students where this amazing opportunity can lead them in the future,” Dawson-Bowman said.
Another one of Dawson-Bowman’s goals for Culinary 1 is to make it an environment students can de-stress in.
“I would love it if students came to Culinary 1 just to have some fun and really enjoy doing what they’re doing,” Dawson-Bowman said.
This change of pace is one of the biggest reasons why students elect to take culinary, offering a much-needed reprieve from stressful academic life.
“I wanted a chill class that I could just enjoy,” sophomore Bea Parker said. “Culinary is fun.”
Despite the shift from essays to entrées, Dawson-Bowman’s care and attention to his students has not changed.
“During online school, he was very strict and he wanted every student to succeed,” senior Jack Wang said. “And then for culinary, he was more passionate about everything.”
Jack had Dawson-Bowman for English in seventh grade and is now in Culinary 1.
At the end of the day, no matter the subject, Dawson-Bowman’s objective remains the same.
“My desire is to build the confidence of all students, especially those who maybe feel they don’t fit in as much in other classrooms,” Dawson-Bowman said. “I really want to give every student every opportunity to feel their success.”
