HS cooking class opens professional gateway

Comet Cafe serves up path for the future

By Amie Johansen

amie@charlescitypress.com

Many in Charles City have come to love Comet Cafe luncheons and — as the trimester comes to an end — the five star dinners which serve as the students’ finals. For some of Dene Lundberg’s students, the ProStart culinary classes are a neat way to learn more about making beautifully delicious, edible works of art. For Charles City Senior Tori Winchester, the cooking courses are paving the way to her future.

“First (I’d like) to be a chef, I’m leaning more toward pastry,” Winchester said of the steps she plans to take. “My overall goal is to be a personal chef.”

Winchester learned to cook when she 10 years old. Freshman year of high school is when she learned her passion was in baking.

“I like decorating cakes, seeing what I can do,” she said.

Recently Winchester and her classmates took a Serv Safe test. This test, if completed with the necessary percentage, will help give Winchester a leg up when she attends Des Moines Area Community College.

“It prepares you for DMACC, and gives your credits,” Winchester said. “I won’t have to take those classes.”

Next Tuesday, Winchester and her classmates will be tested again as the partake in the ProStart Culinary competition in Des Moines. At this competition, Comet Cafe chefs will compete against schools of a similar size in food preparation and knowledge. They will be challenged to prepare an appetizer, main dish and dessert in one hour. Competitors will also have to fabricate, or cut, a chicken into the various cuts of meat in 15 minutes.

Another part of the competition concerns cost analysis of the prepared meal. Before competing, the Comet Cafe class will assemble a book compiling the recipes, portion size and cost. According to Haley Wedemeier, Comet Cafe alumna, the ability to price materials was one of the most helpful things Comet Cafe taught students.

After graduating from Charles City, Wedemeier opened her business “Stallie’s Sweets.”

“Mrs. Lundberg kind of ran Comet Cafe like it was a business,” Wedemeier said. “You actually worked in a restaurant, took reservations, made the table…”

Comet Cafe students are required to plan pricing and timing of meals for a specific number of guests.

“It literally helped me in every aspect of owning my own business,” Wedemeier said. “(It taught me how to) get my costs down or taking orders how long it would take me if I had it all organized in place and it also taught me how to treat customers and know that they are the sole reason behind my business.”

Unlike most high school courses, outside input is valued when it comes to Comet Cafe tests and finals. Students are graded on work ethic, personal presentation, food preparation and presentation, sanitation and treatment of customers, Winchester said. To be part of the final grade, make dinner reservations at cometcafecc.com. This Friday, Feb. 26 Winchester and her classmates will host a Comet Cafe at the Elks Club. Dinner will be served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Comet Cafe students are preparing: winter greens with sautéed corn and shallots, oven glazed pork loin with roasted sweet potatoes or grilled salmon with wild rice and tiramisú for dessert.