The Dragon Cafe serves up good food and experience

Here in the Clintondale Community School district, there is a student-run cafe, operated by those in the Culinary Arts department under the supervision of Mrs. Michelle Downs. In this class, students get hands-on teaching, letting them get a feel for the industry. Students and staff can enjoy meals at the cafe alongside people of the community, all prepared and served by the culinary students. While working in the kitchen, students learn new skills such as food preparation, sanitation and safety, customer service, management skills, professionalism, organization, and essential math.

When asked what the basic skills her classes provide to students was, Mrs. Downs responded, “I take students that don’t know their way around a kitchen and eventually teach them how to run a restaurant or at least work in one. One of the highlights of the program is when students are able to accomplish things that they previously considered unattainable. “Instructional Assistant, Mrs. Whitehead added, “Cooking is a lot like life. It doesn’t always go as planned, but if you keep trying, you can make something great.”

Recent changes are coming to the program with the addition of new equipment and work areas that will continue to support student learning allowing more time for students to work on projects, participate in showcases, and increase performance in and access to the Dragon Cafe. Mrs. Downs also hopes to one day be able to teach introductory classes to students in the middle school to build excitement about the program.