Comet Café serves up dinner for the community

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Dinner guests gathered at the Floyd County Fairgrounds on Friday, March 24, to get a taste of what the student chefs at the Comet Café have been learning this year.

Normally serving their fellow students and members of the public every other week at the high school, this is the first time in two years that the Comet Café has cooked a big school year finale. The dinner not only serves as a challenging learning experience for the students, but is also a major fundraiser to support the club’s activities.

This year’s group includes Makenna Baker-Neve, Lydia Mueller, Jericho Troge, Jordan Young, Isaac Hervert, Haley Liddle, Imigin McHenry, Sydney Otto, Eboni Patterson, Trevor Peterson, Bailey Schweiger, Cloey Usher, Emily Usher, and Reign Vallebo.

While dinner itself was served in the evening at the Youth Enrichment Center at the Floyd County Fairgrounds, the students spent the whole day making preparations, starting at 8 a.m. Friday to set up tables and prepare the kitchen.

“It was kind of a hurry up and wait situation,” said family consumer science teacher Cady Mead.

After making sure all their preparations were in order, it was time for the big event. Dinner guests started rolling in at about 5:30 to socialize before the meal.

Starting things off with a spinach and artichoke dip served with homemade bread, the students prepared a full meal for their dinner guests, including a salad, a main course of pork loin and mashed potatoes or shrimp scampi, a side of roasted vegetables, and crème brulée for dessert.

“At first it was a little hectic,” said Imigin McHenry. “Once it started I feel it went smooth.”

“After the night went on we kind of got into the flow of things,” said Bailey Schweiger.

Along with preparing all of the food, the students handled all of the other restaurant tasks. From serving beverages to washing dishes, they were responsible for delegating every aspect of the food service experience amongst themselves.

By the end of the night, the students had prepared 68 dinners between the dine-in patrons and carry-out orders.

“They all thought it went really well,” said Mead. “They got to work in a way that they don’t normally get to.”

Proceeds from the dinner will help fund the Comet Café’s upcoming field trip to Des Moines, where the students will get to enjoy a dinner out on their own while learning about high end restaurants.

“We thank the community for supporting these kids,” said Mead. “We hope everyone enjoyed it.”