More Than a Food Truck: Kimball Students Turn Hospitality Skills into Opportunity & Community Support

At Justin F. Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas, food trucks are about more than serving food.

For students in the NAF Academy of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT), recently named the 2026 Sanford I. Weill Award for Excellence winner, the truck is a classroom on wheels, a business laboratory, an introduction to entrepreneurship and financial literacy, a work-based learning experience—and a way to give back to the community.

Made possible through a partnership with Intuit, the commercial kitchen on wheels has become a dynamic complement to Kimball’s rich culinary arts and hospitality programs. Students gain the opportunity to be considered for roles working on the truck, participate in real community events and pop-ups, and experience firsthand what it takes to operate within the hospitality industry.

The experience is intentionally bigger than food prep and ringing up orders.

CTE coordinator and Kimball alumnus Jason Hamilton has found it rewarding to witness students put their skills into practice

“Students must interview to participate in this role, and it really acts as a capstone of what they’ve learned throughout the program,” Hamilton explained. “With all of the community involvement and events they experience through the academy, this is really an extension of that.”

As a result, they see firsthand how culinary operations connect to the ins and outs of running a business—from customer service and promotion to financial literacy and teamwork—while approaching the opportunity as professionals and applying the skills and expectations reinforced throughout the academy. And perhaps most importantly, the next generation of leaders learns that hospitality is about making others feel cared for.

From Learning the Business to Building Community

Through an Intuit-supported community engagement initiative Kimball and other campuses used their food trucks to prepare meals for families in need.

The students ultimately helped prepare approximately 350 meals for local families, gathering at a Dallas resource center that provides community support, including food and clothing.

It was a genuine hospitality experience from beginning to end: planning, preparing, coordinating and serving—but with the purpose of helping people in their own community.

The initiative was so meaningful that the schools plan to make it an annual event.

For Kimball educators, opportunities like this demonstrate why work-based learning matters. Students aren’t simply reading about hospitality or being told what it means to make others feel welcome.

They are experiencing it.

“I’m extremely proud of the work they’ve put in, the professionalism they show and the creativity and patience they bring to their work each and every day,” Hamilton said. “There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes—from before- and after-school events to ensuring students are prepared to work with our front-facing partners.”

Experiencing Hospitality Inside and Outside the Classroom

The food truck is part of a much larger ecosystem of industry partnerships surrounding the Kimball AOHT experience.

The academy’s advisory board includes professionals with a connections to a range of industries in and outside of hospitality including Hilton Anatole, Greyhound, Verizon, FedEx, Mentor Connector, Education is Freedom, among others. Year after year Kimball’s dedicated board actively helps students connect classroom learning to the professional world.

Academy lead Alisha Jones explained the critical role the advisory board plays in preparing students for the workforce.

“Our advisory board is an amazing mix of business and community leaders who genuinely want to give back to our students,” Jones shared. “What makes it so special is the range of backgrounds represented. Even though our students are in a hospitality academy, their interests may be in culinary, accounting, transportation, business, or other fields. We have people on the board who can help them explore those different paths.”

Industry partners participate in guest presentations, mock interviews, and resume reviews. They bring their professional expertise into the classroom and provide students with insight into what employers look for.

That breadth is particularly valuable because Kimball’s educators recognize that hospitality skills can lead students in many directions. A student might pursue culinary arts or hotel management, while another might discover an interest in business, accounting, transportation, entrepreneurship, or another field entirely.

The academy’s industry network helps students see those possibilities—and understand that skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism, customer service and problem-solving can travel with them into almost any career.

The partnership with Hilton Anatole illustrates what that pipeline can become. One former Kimball student began working with Hilton Anatole in 2017, continued her internships, earned a promotion and moved through different roles within the company. She eventually returned to Kimball to conduct mock interviews, review resumes, and serve on the academy’s advisory board.

Building Durable Career Skills

In addition to the specialized skills needed in the hospitality, tourism and culinary industries, Kimball understands the importance of end-to-end career preparation—and it starts early.

From freshman year, students learn how to develop resumes and cover letters and are introduced to the expectations of the academy. As they progress through sophomore and junior years, the focus on internships and work-based learning intensifies. Mentors help students navigate challenges, while industry partners provide opportunities to practice professional skills.

By senior year, students can leave the academy with industry certifications, such as ServSafe, a developed resume and cover letter, paid internship experience, NAF-related credentials, and 100 hours of community service.

The academy’s educators deliberately make internships an expectation rather than something students are simply encouraged to pursue. Teachers have also worked together to address barriers that previously prevented some students from securing internships, including gaps in qualifications or documentation.

The result is an approach that treats career preparation as a process rather than a single senior-year milestone.

“We’ve learned how important it is to set those goals from day one of freshman year so our students can be as successful as we know they can be,” Jones said.

Seeing Hospitality in Action

Kimball students regularly experience the industry beyond the school walls.

During hands-on visits to Maggiano’s, students experience both the restaurant and business sides of the operation. They make fresh pasta and sauce, interact with managers and chefs, and gain exposure to the different career pathways within a restaurant.

For some students, that firsthand experience can be transformative. A student who has never visited the restaurant may leave thinking differently about what a career in culinary arts could look like.

Students have also participated in large-scale events, including a Dallas ISD Hall of Fame induction for approximately 450 guests. Working alongside students from other culinary programs, event coordinators and outside caterers, Kimball students experienced the complexity of producing a major event.

Plans changed repeatedly. Details had to be adjusted. Students had to remain flexible under pressure.

In other words, they experienced hospitality as it happens.

“There was a lot of training that went into the event, and I thought it was a real depiction of the large-scale events we see throughout the industry,” Hamilton expressed. “The meticulous work that went into every detail really helped reinforce what the students were learning in the classroom.”

Those experiences reinforce what students practice through the food truck: professional hospitality requires more than technical skill. It requires communication, adaptability, teamwork and the ability to respond when circumstances change.

When Alumni Come Back, the Investment Continues

That spirit of giving back extends to Kimball’s alumni.

Former students regularly return to speak with current students, share their career journeys, participate in mock interviews and resume reviews, and create opportunities for students to see workplaces firsthand.

One Kimball graduate, now serving in the Navy in a hospitality-related position, returned to tell students about his journey. He explained that he had not even known his current career path existed when he was in high school, and that the certification he earned through the NAF academy helped him qualify for his position.

The academy’s educators also understand the value of giving back because they have experienced it themselves.

Zene Appiah-Amaning is a NAF alumna who graduated from Skyline High School in 2013 before returning to NAF as a teacher. Her own experience with the academy shaped her career and now informs her commitment to creating opportunities for the students she teaches.

“The partners we bring in as guest speakers offer so many different perspectives. They’re alumni, business leaders and chefs, and they’re excellent at discussing career pathways and entrepreneurship. I can honestly say I learn from them as much as the students do,” she said.

The cycle of investment, arguably even more than the food truck project, makes Kimball stand out. Industry professionals support students, students become professionals, and those graduates return to support the students who come after them.

Learn more about NAF’s Academy of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT) pathway, including how to get involved and stay connected!