The 2016-17 school year is defined by students as the year that everything changed— new uniforms, a bell system, and the removal of the Digital Audio strand. At first, students were alarmed but with time became accustomed to the new policies. The postponement of C-Cafeteria’s opening, however, is still very much an open wound for students who were used to the privilege in previous years.
Rumors flooded the school concerning the closing of the Culinary Arts strand, a gamut of new exams, when the cafeteria would open (if it would open), and what healthier food options would be offered.
Head Chef and Culinary strand teacher Jamey Hunt shed some light on the reasoning behind C-cafe’s current hiatus: “They have to take the Food Handlers Test,” said Chef Hunt in reference to the Culinary Arts students who operate C-cafe.
Students in the Culinary strand are now required to obtain their Food Handlers certification before they’re able to handle or prepare food for the rest of the student body. Once the students pass the exam and receive their certification, they are not required to renew it for another five years. Those who did not pass the certification exam will still learn how to cook but will not participate in the preparing and serving of food that’s to be sold.
“We wanted to allow students time to learn and master the Safe Staff Curriculum,” said Lourdes Diaz, principal of Miami Lakes Educational Center. “We also upgraded new pieces of equipment like ovens, got new prep tables, had the fume hood cleaned and maintenance crews worked on different levels of sanitation cleaning.”
The initial plan was for all of the necessary work to be done during the summer and C-cafe to open on the Tuesday after Labor Day but delays in processing made the arranged opening day an unattainable goal.
During the time C-cafe remained closed, students studied the new Safe Staff Curriculum which taught how to not cross contaminate among other things. Now the culinary students have new uniforms, completed their safety and sanitation certification, prepared to cook and serve a more well rounded array of meals, and are ready for the opening of C-cafeteria on Wednesday, September 28.
C-cafeteria’s new serving days will be Wednesday-Friday. Mondays and Tuesdays will be devoted to class time during which the students will learn how to prepare and plate new foods.
“There will be many new menu items introduced to match the curriculum—[ProStart]— that they’re learning in the classroom. Whatever curriculum chapter that they’re on should be the same food items that we’ll be seeing served in C-Cafe. There should be fish, meats, and poultry,” said Diaz.
Adding to the changes made to the way C-cafeteria is run, the fast food previously served is being exchanged for healthier, wholesome meals.
