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Howell High School’s Aspiring Food Critics Spotlight Freehold High School’s Five Star Café
In an effort to refine both their palates and writing styles, Howell High School students from Mr. Reid’s Advanced Placement Language and Composition classes traveled across the district to Freehold High School’s Five Star Café. The composition classes have studied feature and opinion writing all year, and the restaurant, run by Freehold’s Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management Academy, provided a unique opportunity for student reviewers to sample the work of student chefs.
Buses left Howell High School and arrived at the café in time for the start of the lunch service. The restaurant, which is open to the public most afternoons, provided an exclusive buffet to the visiting students. Howell guests were greeted by their Freehold peers upon arrival and introduced to the impressive culinary academy. The café offered a variety of food for the would-be food critics to sample, ranging from impressive Italian entrées to Panini sandwiches and freshly baked desserts—all prepared in the café by Freehold’s students.
The Howell students understood their primary purpose for attending was to gather material for an engaging and effectively written food review. They were to focus on the atmosphere of the restaurant, the service, taste and presentation.
The Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management Academy at Freehold High School is a four-year program of study that consists of a wide range of courses, training, experiences, and activities in culinary, hospitality management, and food science. Traditionally, all of the academy’s graduates continue their education completing an associate, bachelor, or master level degree in the culinary field.
The traditional course work is enhanced by relevant action research projects with the opportunity for “hands on” professional skill development through all operational phases of a fully licensed restaurant, the Five Star Café. College degree or placement credit, in the culinary content area, may be earned through high school course work tied to an articulation agreement with The Culinary Institute of America. Students are prepared and have the opportunity to take safety and sanitation certification tests that are nationally recognized by the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe. Career portfolios are developed and serve as a means for career placement opportunities and college articulation credits. Career exploration and leadership activities include community service learning projects and professional skill competitions. Students maintain active membership in the nationally recognized Skills USA Club and National Technical Honor Society.
Buses left Howell High School and arrived at the café in time for the start of the lunch service. The restaurant, which is open to the public most afternoons, provided an exclusive buffet to the visiting students. Howell guests were greeted by their Freehold peers upon arrival and introduced to the impressive culinary academy. The café offered a variety of food for the would-be food critics to sample, ranging from impressive Italian entrées to Panini sandwiches and freshly baked desserts—all prepared in the café by Freehold’s students.
The Howell students understood their primary purpose for attending was to gather material for an engaging and effectively written food review. They were to focus on the atmosphere of the restaurant, the service, taste and presentation.
The Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management Academy at Freehold High School is a four-year program of study that consists of a wide range of courses, training, experiences, and activities in culinary, hospitality management, and food science. Traditionally, all of the academy’s graduates continue their education completing an associate, bachelor, or master level degree in the culinary field.
The traditional course work is enhanced by relevant action research projects with the opportunity for “hands on” professional skill development through all operational phases of a fully licensed restaurant, the Five Star Café. College degree or placement credit, in the culinary content area, may be earned through high school course work tied to an articulation agreement with The Culinary Institute of America. Students are prepared and have the opportunity to take safety and sanitation certification tests that are nationally recognized by the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe. Career portfolios are developed and serve as a means for career placement opportunities and college articulation credits. Career exploration and leadership activities include community service learning projects and professional skill competitions. Students maintain active membership in the nationally recognized Skills USA Club and National Technical Honor Society.