The smell of bacon greets visitors to the Sanford Regional Technical Center on Wednesday and Thursday mornings in late winter and spring, as students cook, serve and bus tables.
Preparing and serving lunch in the 38-seat dining room, students sharpen their culinary art skills as they learn to sharpen their kitchen knives and customer service skills.
Among the 25 students from eight communities in York County enrolled in the culinary program, three Marshwood students head to the tech school each week for the cafe work, a favorite part of the culinary curriculum, according to Chef John Couture, culinary arts teacher. The other three days of the week are spent prepping and organizing for the restaurant service.
Montana Ballou, a Marshwood senior enrolled in the program, agrees that cafe unit in culinary arts is the most fun.
“We are definitely all very nervous at first because there are real customers,” Ballou said. “When we first open, we usually just serve to a few classes, fellow students, but when we get in with real people, it is very nerve-wracking. Once we get the hang of it, it is pretty easy,” she said during a recent interview in the Career Center at Marshwood High School.
Ballou recommended the chicken with a Roquefort cream sauce from the upscale choices on the midday menu, which include scallops, steaks and elegant desserts like flaming bananas foster.
“There are three stations at the back of the house – broiler, saute and the garde-manger where items that have to be kept cold until served, like desserts, [are located.] The rest of us are in the the front of the house serving,” Ballou said. “There are more of us out front, so we have to serve for two weeks and then we switch out.”
The weeks the cafe is open, it’s all hands on deck in the restaurant, and books are set aside.
At a recent breakfast, a student greeted visitors, checked their reservations and led the two diners to a table. A friendly server who introduced herself as Keir, a first-year student from Massebesic High School, explained that juniors serve at breakfast and seniors serve at lunch.
The omelettes were tasty, the tables were full, and cheery sunlight poured through the windows. There were a few small hiccups in service, such as an unwanted side, but as Chef Couture said he tells his students, “It’s how you handle the failure and learn from it that matters.” Diners were asked to offer feedback on a card tucked in with the check, which was $20 for both meals.
Couture, the culinary arts program teacher, said he interviews students during what is a highly competitive application process.
“I look for a student who is passionate about culinary arts and food service in general,” he said. “I also look for a student who is a hard worker, self-motivated and a team player. ”
More than half the 150 Marshwood sophomores applied this year to programs at either the Sanford school or the Dover Regional Career Tech Center, which also accepts Marshwood students. Only about 60% of the students who apply get a spot in one of the programs, with 52 Marshwood students enrolled in 19 programs this year.
Spending half her day at Marshwood and the other half in Sanford has been a positive for her social life, Ballou said,
“Getting in contact with people from other schools is a lot of fun because everyone I go to school with now I’ve known for 10 years,” said Ballou, who is in her second year of the program. “It hasn’t put a strain on those friendships because I still see them after school and I’m….here for half the day. I’ve made more friends, I would say.”
Ballou was attracted to the program because she loves to cook and planned to go to school for culinary arts and eventually start her own restaurant. But the program gave her the opportunity to learn that is not the route for her.
“I feel a little bit differently now. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but I’ve branched in a different direction,” said Ballou, who is going to Simmons College in Boston next year. “I want to go to college for communications and journalism because I enjoy writing a lot, and now that I have had the experience of working in a restaurant, it’s not quite for me.”
Kyle Lontine, Marshwood school counselor, who sat in on Ballou’s interview, noted that the real life experience is valuable no matter what career a student ends up choosing.
“The interfacing she is doing in the professional setting with the clientele of the restaurant – all different walks and talks of people in such a high-paced environment, and being able to multitask – those are such transferable skills,” Lontine said.
Lontine also pointed out that exploring a career in high school not only helps them decide whether the work is a good fit for them, but also saves them time and money compared to not finding this out until a year or two in higher education.
Couture estimated that on average, about two-thirds of his students either stay in food service or go on to a post secondary culinary or hospitality school.
“Being a chef is hard work,” he said. “Being a successful chef requires many sacrifices – and if you don’t enjoy it, do something else!”
One former student became a certified dietitian working at Mass General Hospital in Boston, and two former students, now husband and wife, opened the Publick House in Springvale.
Reilly Greenlaw, a 2015 Noble High School graduate who was in the Career Center when Ballou was interviewed, attended Sanford’s IT program and is now a senior support specialist with the tech department at the Marshwood school district.
The Tech Center, which opened in 2018 , serves Kennebunk, Marshwood, Massabesic, Noble, Sanford, Traip Academy, Wells and York, with students enrolled in 21 distinct two-year programs last year.
The Center has a record 641 students this year and is funded mostly through state and federal money, with the eight regional schools sharing costs if the budget exceeds the revenue, according to Center Director Matt Petermann.
Sophomores apply in spring and go through a competitive selection process, including an application, review of their high school record, attendance, behavior and input from the guidance department, with a rubric used by sending schools to rate the applicants, Petermann said.
Couture says his biggest surprise about the program has been the impact it has had on students and the life skills they gain, whether they stay in the industry or not.
The café is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesdays and Thursdays from February through early May. Reservations are required a week in advance for lunch and two days in advance for breakfast.
Programs at the Sanford Regional Technical Center cover four areas: arts and communication, business and marketing, health and human services, and science and technology. Cosmetology is the most popular program. The center’s website can help students identify a program to suit their personalities and interests through a series of questions and videos
