Students open temporary café

Whitefish Independent High School last week was transformed into a restaurant.

Students cooked, served and managed the Café de Coliseum for two nights at the school. The school project, now in its the fourth year, is part fundraiser and part lesson.

“They put a business together,” said Beth Hansen, the school’s lead teacher.

Over the course of several weeks, students work to create the restaurant from scratch, building a menu, decorating the school and then serving guests.

Former WIHS graduate Tyler Ferguson guides them through the process.

Ferguson, who cooks at Latitude 48 Bistro, conceived the idea when he was a senior at the school. Now he returns to the school to cook for the Café and direct the students.

Hansen said the teachers are there to guide the process, but it’s really the students who execute the whole thing. Students are divided into different committees to handle the various components of the project.

“They take a lot of ownership in it,” she said. “The first year was chaos, but it ended up spectacular. We had a really positive response.”

They, along with Ferguson, create the menu. Last week diners had the choice of three entrees: Lamb chops with smoked fingerling potato gratin and whipped parsnips; seared scallops, carrot and sweet potato puree on a bed of sautéed spinach; or sweet potato gnocchi with sage cream, bacon lardon and peas.

Once dishes are set, a menu invitation is sent to school district staff and students’ family or friends. Reservations are taken, which students keep track of on a computer and turn into a seating chart.

Students go to different grocery stores and compare prices before purchasing food for the meal. The days before the restaurant opens they are in the kitchen preparing homemade salad dressing and sauces — virtually everything is made from scratch.

A decorating committee turned the school into a restaurant. There was a coat check station, a reception desk and tables with vases holding red roses.

A staffing schedule is created for the different duties at the restaurant. Some students served, others prepped soup and salad, some washed dishes and others worked in the kitchen with Ferguson.

“Tyler is in there directing all the kids,” Hansen said. “It’s great that they get to work beside him.”