A Taste of Fine Dining with BE.Cuisine
YES, CHEF! A student searing fresh scallops isn’t something you see in every
classroom. But as part of BE.Cuisine’s “Restaurant TBD” events, guests are in for a fine taste. Restaurant TBD is a fine-dining experience that serves as a crucial part of MUSD’s Culinary Arts/Food Service Hospitality CTE pathway. Hosted at the District Office campus on select Wednesdays through the school year, Restaurant TBD’s budding chefs prepare and present a variety of foods using appropriate prep techniques, equipment, tools, and supplies as required in the industry. As part of a special holiday experience during December, students created a Hell’s Kitchen-themed menu inspired by recipes from Chef Gordon Ramsay.
A Bite from BE.Cuisine Instructor Chef Andrew Griggs
Events like Restaurant TBD provide more than just a peek into the professional world – For our students, this experience is immersive. Their feet hurt at the end of the day, they learn it is okay to take their eyes away from their phone and computer screens, and that it takes a lot of effort to consistently deliver a good product and service. Sure, the cooking is fun, and the service is exciting, but the best part is students are actively engaged in their own learning. Not only do we learn about cooking and culinary arts from a technical view, but we use our food
service venues as a vehicle to learn about and develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Culinary One students mostly help with entry-level positions such as utility, dishwasher, and food runner. Our Culinary Two students are expected to take on more of a management role in terms of planning and costing menus, organizing, and managing people. This would be difficult to replicate without a space like Restaurant TBD where we are open to the public and people expect good food no matter who is cooking.
For future reservations, contact the Manteca CTE Innovations office. All proceeds support the BE.Cuisine Culinary Arts program.
