With semester one over half way finished, it is getting closer and closer to the excitement of semester two; more specifically, the opening of the Hatters’ Cafe. The Hatters’ Cafe is a completely student-led restaurant located in A building that is open to both teachers and students in semester two. As we enter the second half of this semester, students planning to work in the cafe get in the peak of preparation time. As this is happening, there is a clear view of what is needed for yet another successful year at the cafe!
The training course for working at the Hatters’ Cafe is Culinary Arts & Training 1, which then leads up to Culinary Arts & Training 2. In this class, students will learn everything they need to know about how a restaurant runs, including the very basics of safety, customer service, and eventually how to make the delicious recipes customers enjoy. Brian Turner, teacher and head of the cafe, stated that “As soon as [they] get home from thanksgiving break, they will start learning breakfast cooking.” Prior to this, class time is spent just learning the little things like how to use tools properly and operate the kitchen equipment to ensure safety for both workers and customers.
Unlike a regular restaurant, the workers are restricted by the fact that they are working in a regular school. The main way this is limiting is the bell schedule. Workers must fit the entire process into one class period; this includes cleaning and preparation time, not just serving, so if orders get backed up for a variety of reasons, they need someone to fall on. This someone being Brian Turner, who mentions that he “loves to cook, though [he] doesn’t get a chance to cook very often” as students learn to be independent and rarely need his intervention. Due to this, he says that his favorite days on the job are ones where they “are short staffed and [he] gets to slide in and cook.” This system ensures that even when challenges are presented, the cafe can continue to run as smoothly as possible.
There are plenty of different specific job options for students to choose ranging from waiting tables to preparing food, each having their own individual responsibilities. In taking the course, students will learn the importance of teamwork first-hand as each individual job adds onto each other and is needed to run a restaurant. For the first few months of the restaurant being open, they will rotate jobs so everyone gets a taste of what it’s like in each position and then later in the year they will have the opportunity to choose which one they prefer the most. Students will learn that all parts of the process are equally important and require just as much skill. In this, they will be able to learn more about themselves, like if they are better with customer service or just a really good cook.
Teachers will be able to book out time slots to take their students to visit the cafe where you can buy meals. Just like at any other restaurant, you get sat down at a table where a waiter will come to take your order and put it in with the cooks. However, new menu additions as of this year contain more items catered towards teachers who have little time to eat. Smaller grab and go foods will be on “a posted menu for that day for teachers and staff,” according to Turner.
A Lot of hard work from both teachers and students goes into keeping the cafe running and it’s definitely clear when you try some of their delicious meals, making it a must-visit for anyone in the building. The class as a whole is a great way to try your hand in the culinary field so if you have any interest in it, or even just want to take a fun elective and try something new, maybe it’s time to look into Culinary Arts & Training.
