On the menu: student-created dishes!
Published: April 7, 2022
This summer, culinary arts students from Rolling Meadows High School will have an exciting and unusual opportunity: To see food dishes that they created featured on the menu of a local restaurant.
Students in the ProStart culinary arts program have been working over the past few months to create summer menu items for Rep’s Place. Owner Mike Reppe is an RMHS alum, and worked with ProStart teacher Kimmi Krupicka and division head Dave Wietrzak to develop the opportunity for these advanced culinary arts students. The students not only created the menu items, but also had the real-life business challenge of costing out the ingredients, planning and evaluating the preparation, writing up formal recipes, and making each dish work as part of a larger Mexican-themed summer menu. The 14 dishes include a balance of starters, small plates, main entrees and desserts.
Reppe stopped by the ProStart classes on March 31 to do a final taste test and evaluation of the dishes. The restaurant will launch the menu at a special weekend lunch for students and their families in early May. As the summer progresses, Rep’s will be tracking actual sales of the dishes and report back to students on their success.
“It’s been a great opportunity to give our students a real-life business experience in the restaurant industry,” Wietrzak said."Work-based experiences like this speak to our district’s focus on life and career readiness."