MACON, Ga. — Hutchings College and Career Academy's student-run café is closed because of COVID-19, but students are learning other ways to keep business going.
Chef Instructor Stuart Hardy wasn't sure how to give students hands-on training during a pandemic until he thought about meal kits.
"I actually heard reports on how meal kits sales nationwide are up 10%, and I was just sitting in my car listening to that report and I was like you know that's an opportunity for us too. We could actually introduce that and there it spawned," he said.
3rd year student Abigail Hudgins learns how to prepare ingredients for a different meal each week.
"Knowing how much ingredients to get, how much to portion it, how much each person needs," Hudgins said.
"We try to make these [about] 15-20 minutes for customers to be able to kind of assemble, but it isn't just dump it out of the bag and you've got your dinner. You still have to cook, you still have to use seasoning. There's still that artistry touch that we wanted every customer to experience," Hardy said.
While the schools' Compass Rose Cafe is closed because of the pandemic, the meal kit option shows students find other ways to keep business open.
"I think this is helpful because people can't really go out to restaurants and get food without being exposed because you have to take your mask off to eat. So, this is really nice because you can take it home, you don't really have to do much, except cook the meat, maybe some vegetables," Hudgins said.
"It's not just cooking good food that makes you a successful good chef. It's managing a budget, it's finding out your market, it's making it advertisable, it's all of these things. We're not just teaching them how to cook. We're teaching them the business side of culinary arts," Hardy said.
Each meal kit costs $20 and serves two people. Their first week, they made Thai peanut lettuce wrap meal kits, which sold out.
They change the meal each week, which Hardy posts on their website every Wednesday. That's also when they start taking orders. Pick up is every Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can find out more information on placing orders here.
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