NORTH BEND — Some cooks would find it difficult to make a meal with $8 worth of ingredients.

Stretch that sum weekly between 25 culinary students, and the menu sounds meager at best. Culinary teacher Mary Willson says that’s the difficult reality of her new North Bend High School course, which is meant to prepare students for a future in cooking.

“I think we’re going to have to have Top Ramen labs,” Willson said sardonically. “The kids think I’m a vegetarian, because I never buy any meat. It’s just because we don’t have money (to) work with meats.”

New this school year, the Culinary Arts course is a two-year program that uses ProStart books and curriculum, a career-building program for high schoolers interested in culinary arts and food service management.

To try and make up for some of its expenses, students in Culinary Arts are baking treats including Bulldog brownies, and pumpkin rolls — a spicy sponge cake with a cream cheese filling — and selling them at school events as a fundraiser. Willson said with a little more funding she hopes the class can start a catering program to make the program more self-sustaining.

Students said they are enjoying the class so far and don’t mind fundraising for cooking supplies. Junior Chelsea Cook said taking the course makes sense for her because she’s always had a passion for baking and wants to do it professionally.

“I’ve really learned a lot more about professionalism. When you bake at home, you get to lick your fingers, lick the bowl,” the 17-year-old said. “Here (Willson) really watches that you have your hair secured back. We have to wear an apron or a chef coat.”

Chelsea is also part of North Bend’s School-to-Work program, so she gets to bake at The Mill Casino-Hotel’s bakery. After high school, she hopes to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Senior Donald Noah, who is attempting to finish the course in one school year, said he believes it will help him as a future culinarian. In addition to classwork, he said he’ll have to complete 400 hours of pre-culinary experience through internships.

“By the time you’re out, you kind of know what you’re doing and you’re prepared for culinary school,” the 17-year-old said.

If he receives ProStart certification, he said he’ll likely get a tuition discount at Oregon Coast Culinary Institute at Southwestern Oregon Community College.

Through fundraising work, Willson said her pupils are learning customer relations, marketing and how to price products. They’ve also learned kitchen safety and other skills.

The class can sometimes be difficult, but teams of students — arranged by table — figure out recipes. Tiara Eaton, 15, recalled making Bulldog brownies for the first time and mixing all the ingredients instead of marbling them.

“They didn’t turn out very pretty,” she said.

Because the program is underfunded, Willson said, students aren’t getting to experience making as many dishes as they should. Unless the program gets help through grants or community fundraising, Willson doubts students will be able to achieve accreditation before moving on. She explained that when the North Bend School District began trimming its budget last year, her program’s budget also got pared down.

“I can’t teach them chicken, if the chicken’s not in the fridge,” Willson said. “I’d like them to have a rich and varied experience in all the areas of culinary arts.”

The instructor said there are only 20 books to spread between 50 students this term, and she’d also like her students to compete in state culinary competitions in Portland, but that takes money. Karleen Burgett, North Bend’s School-to-Work coordinator said she’s been working on grants with Willson to support the program.

“It’s just going to take some time,” Burgett said.