"And so please help (To teach your children)
Them with your…read moreyouth (What you believe in)
They seek the truth
Teach your children well"
(Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
When was the last time you ate a meal in a high school?
Maybe it was at an award dinner for a high school sports team, or at a Boy or Cub Scout dinner?
Or maybe it was way back in the day between your history and algebra classes?
Well, we had a unique lunch at Oliver's Restaurant. Why unique? It was unique because the restaurant is located within the Oliver Wolcott Technical High School in Torrington, and it is staffed by students.
You see, the school's Culinary Arts program trains their students for experience in the food service industry.
It's an ambitious program that uses a public restaurant to provide 1,775 hours of learning and training in all phases of restaurant business - from the public facing front of the house to the back-of-house. If the students decide to enter the food service workforce, they leave Oliver's with a fantastic skill set.
The teacher is Chef Michael McDowell, and he had a crew of 25 High School Juniors operating in two rooms preparing the salads and sandwiches, grilling the chicken and salmon and steaks, baking the meatballs, preparing the soups, slicing the complimentary bread, waiting the tables, and every possible activity they will see when the food service workforce.
Chef Michael was fantastic as he oversaw the operation, offering nonstop commentary and tips to his young staff - "did you offer ketchup with those fries?", "too much oil in that pan", "check on your customers and get off your phones", "where's the dressing on the side?", "put the dressing in a takeout container for the takeout orders, and a ramekin for the diners", etc., etc.
Oliver's has a real dining room with an open kitchen, so you can see and hear the entire class. There was a steady stream of takeout orders, and three parents popped in to say hi to their kids.
The freshman and sophs in the Culinary Arts program start with the basics -how to sauté things, make salads, and the like. Today's class was all juniors, and that's when they actually start to operate the restaurant under the Chef's guidance. We chatted with Chef Michael, and he said that when they become Seniors, they really run Olivers by themselves.
Our lunch was a $3 cup of clam chowder, a $9 turkey BLT, a $14 Salmon Caesar Salad, and a $4 Apple Crostata.
The food was very good, check out the generous portion of turkey on the BLT and the half pound slab of perfectly cooked salmon on my salad. And we were amazed when Chef Michael called us at home to get our feedback on the meal and service.
What a wonderful experience! We really enjoyed watching the Chef train his staff and watching them execute his instructions.
I hope whoever is reading this, goes to the school and supports these young restaurant workers of the future. I know you'll enjoy this unique experience as much as we did.
PRO TIP
Olivers is open to the public Wednesday to Friday from 10:45 to 12:05, and they ask you to call 860-496-5369 to make a reservation.