Students Run Restaurants in Kansas City Schools and Invite You to Dine
Ever desired to get a peek at the future culinary leaders of America in action? Look no further than the vibrant city of Kansas City. The local schools here provide an intriguing food experience where students run entire restaurants as part of their culinary courses. These initiatives are making a large impact by not only teaching students crucial life skills but also inviting the public to enjoy meals from the hands of these young culinary enthusiasts.
Culinary Programs across Kansas City
Several school districts around Kansas City have taken professional culinary education a notch higher by letting students run their own restaurants. These programs introduce students to both the culinary and business aspects of the restaurant industry with real-world hands-on experience. They learn everything from adhering to safety precautions, honing cutting skills, to the intricacies of running a full-fledged restaurant.
One such initiative is the culinary program at Broadmoor Bistro, located in a school building of the Shawnee Mission School District. This restaurant pleases the gastronomic senses of its guests with gourmet offerings served by culinary students. Dressed in white jackets and matching hats, these students navigate through the fast pace of a fully functioning restaurant environment and prepare delicacies ranging from tuna tartare to liver sweetbreads.
Learning And Serving
These culinary programs are not limited to teaching students to cook exquisite meals; they also present students with the opportunity to learn how to manage and market a restaurant. Finley Jewell, a junior at Shawnee Mission South High School, shared her experience handling customer demands during a restaurant rush and cited it as a valuable lesson in real-time problem solving.
Students in this program come from different walks of life and have unique inspirations that drove them to join. From students like Finley, who learnt to thrive under high-pressure situations, to students like Faith Xiong, who hails from a first-generation refugee family from Thailand and Laos and regards food as a way to bring people and cultures together, the culinary program has nurtured many flavorful stories.
A Roaring Success
Gaining immense popularity, Shawnee Mission School District’s Broadmoor Bistro is open to the public and hosts a guest chef mentor series several times in a year. It invites chefs from around the country to produce dinner with students, further enriching their culinary experience.
Many programs, like the one at Broadmoor Bistro, have been a hit amongst the public, getting fully booked shortly after reservations open. These restaurants, cafes and eateries run by Kansas City students are garnering attention for their mouth-watering meals, making these schools a significant part of Kansas City’s thriving food scene.
For these student chefs, nothing compares to the joy derived from customers’ delightful compliments, and for the community, it’s a wonderful opportunity to support and encourage young talent.
Looking Ahead
Such initiatives radically enhance students’ learning experience. They make education interactive and engaging and most importantly, they equip students with a wide range of marketable skills that open up a world of possibilities for their future.
