SALEM, MA — Salem High culinary arts students will start showing off their cooking, hospitality and business skills to the public on Wednesday with the grand opening of the Black Cat Bistro at Salem High School.
The bistro will open on Wednesday with Career Technical Education students ready to serve on Wednesdays through Fridays from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Salem High CTE Program Director Mario Sousa told Patch that the bistro was the evolution of a buffet-style service that culinary students offered to other students, staff and senior groups, but was not well-utilized among the general public.
It is part of the strategic plan that involves “elevating learning” to include more practical lessons and experiences. Students have been involved with the planning of menu items, calculating food costs and other decisions involved with operating a hospitality business.
“We wanted to take it up a little bit and present it in a high-end fashion with tablecloths and fine China, a hostess station, sit-down meal, and students cooking and serving the food,” he said. “It goes A-to-Z into the whole operation of a restaurant.
“They get to really get a sense of the whole process of being a restaurant owner from the business side to the operation side.”
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Sousa said the need to develop those skills led the school to open a hospital management program to complement the culinary arts program.
“This really highlights what a CTE can be in a comprehensive program,” Sousa said. “It takes the right staff and the right students who want to do the right thing. If the teachers believe in the kids, the kids will shine through. That’s the biggest thing.”
Sousa said one the key changes in the culinary arts program in recent years are the signs of pride that students are taking in it — from restaurant necessities like owning and utilizing hair nets, to how every one of them now wears a uniform with the program logo on it.
“That helps kids sell the program to other kids,” Sousa said. “They are the ones showing the ninth-graders that this is what we do here.”
The Black Cat Bistro menu will be revolving with “fresh, creative dishes” introduced at various times and chosen by students.
The bistro is located on the first floor in the rear of the building. Parking is available behind the Veterans Memorial Field House.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
