“This is a great way for the students to learn real life experiences in the food industry,” food and nutrition teacher Cheryl Clower said, “and it was also great to give back to the faculty.”

Clower supervised a facility luncheon run by her culinary arts class the week before spring break. The class is new this year, so this is the first time these students participated. Students served the food during all three lunches, and the teachers paid $7 to eat at “Salads and Spuds.”

Clower has been doing the faculty restaurant since 2003 with her previous nutrition classes. “Salads and Spuds” consisted of a potato bar, soup bar, salad bar, freshly baked bread and variety of desserts this year.

“The food was great and her students had a great menu planned out,” early childhood and development teacher Hope Via said. “I really enjoyed my experience.”

Students tailored the meal to teachers’ preferences through a survey. They were asked multiple questions about what food, toppings, and themes they would like to see.  

Once the students received feedback from the teachers, they created their menu. The culinary art class cooked the main course, and Clower’s food for life students made the desserts. The two classes came together to decorate the restaurant and choose the title of the restaurant.

Some teachers requested gluten-free foods, so students came up with recipes for gluten-free brownies and cheese bread. “There were so many teachers that asked me for my gluten-free recipes because the food was so delicious,” Clower said.

Clower ensured the luncheon ran smoothly by assigning students different jobs to simulate working in a real restaurant.

“It was definitely a lot of work making the food, preparing the tables and cleaning up,” junior Claire Mossman said. “But it was all worth it because the teachers seemed to have enjoyed their meals.”