Title

Interview no. 1746

Interviewee

Christopher Puga

Interviewer

Joshua Lopez

Project

El Paso Food Voices

Summary of Interview

Chef Christopher Puga became the culinary arts instructor at Bowie High School and quickly built the Oso’ Good Catering and Food Truck program with the assistance of his students. Before becoming a successful and impactful culinary arts teacher, Chef Puga enjoyed cooking and was inspired by reality television shows and cooking competitions. He baked his first cake as a child, and while it may not have been up to his present day standards, he realized that he had a passion for making art with his hands. He then pursued culinary arts in high school and in college, where he studied pastry and cake decoration at the University of Colorado, Escoffier Culinary School. His success in culinary school took him to his first job at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas, and then to El Paso, Texas where he managed catering at the Horizon Country Club. However, life had other plans for him. At the insistence of a school administrator, Chef Puga was invited to interview for the culinary arts position at Bowie High School. Upon beginning his new teaching career, Chef Puga was surprised to find a budding program that had come into fruition through Bowie High School’s Class of 2017’s hard work. They fundraised $57,000 and purchased a food truck. A committed group of students and Chef Puga built a curriculum from the ground up centered around the food truck, which they called the Oso’ Good Food Truck and Catering. Students would learn how to craft a business plan and implement it through the food truck and catering department. As the program took off, the food truck and catering program grew in popularity. They expanded their clientele which included community organizations and even celebrities such as comedian Gabriel Iglesias. Chef Puga believes that the culinary arts program has offered students a way to build their own futures as they learn how to create food-centered businesses.

Date of Interview

3-2019

Length of Interview

31 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1746

Transcriber

Joshua Lopez

Interview Number

No. 1746

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Joshua Lopez transcribed the Summary.

For information on obtaining a transcript of this interview, please contact The Institute for Oral History

Recommended Citation

Puga, Christopher, "Interview no. 1746" (2019). Public Kitchens. 10.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/ep_public/10