By Jamil Oakford/se news editor
Every Monday, students and employees on SE Campus get a little more variety for food than just Subway.
The culinary arts program along with the dietetic program uses one of the classes, Quantity Procedures, to give students the chance to get hands-on experience.
“Students gain a lot of insight for cooking for the public,” culinary arts instructor Katrina Warner said.
Started three years ago with an agreement from the cafeteria that the class would serve a $5 lunch for students every Monday beginning at noon, popularity has slowly grown.
Culinary arts student Oscar Zeno-Cortes said he loves the Quantity Procedures class.
“The class is designed for students to learn how to cook for 60 people or more,” he said. “The class will prepare us for how to do that.”
When visitors drop by for lunch, comment cards are made available. These comment cards will be used as a way for Warner to keep the students on track.
“I read them at the end of class,” she said.
Her students can learn how to take the criticism and improve.
Zeno-Cortes sees this as a good thing instead of a scary aspect of the class.
“I like to hear what other people have to say about my cooking, even if it’s bad,” he said.
He also noted that hearing criticism would ready them for the restaurant industry where hopefuls have to develop a thicker skin.
Students in this class are also expected to build their own menus.
“I do the menu for the first three weeks,” Warner said. “Students then are given the chance to make a menu and plan for each week.”
After splitting into groups and working out the whole menu, the students turn out the lunch, which includes the entrée, dessert and a drink.
“We occasionally have vegan options, but we do have a vegetarian entrée each week,” she said.
Some students around campus hadn’t quite known about the $5 Monday lunches but found it to be interesting.
“I would see the signs, but I leave for lunch because I’m done before 1,” SE student Alexa Villanueva said.
And SE student Kaitlyn Pasqual found the idea interesting.
“I just never knew it was there,” she said.
She sees this as a great change from having only Subway.
“I just tweeted about that,” Pasqual said. “I hate how the whole building smells like Subway.”
These lunches are served noon-1:15 p.m. Mondays in ESEE 1306.
