Students take over the lunchroom

For five days Kasson-Mantorville High School students were given another choice at lunch; in fact, students tasted recipes created and made by their very own classmates. 
On Nov. 5, 6 and Nov. 9-11, five groups from the Food Innovations course took over the kitchen to make and serve prototype recipes they worked hard to develop all quarter long. 
“The kids are really creative; they think outside of the box on these recipes,” said Food Services Director Wendy Sellers. 
Normally all the students in the class get to make and serve their recipes, however this year, only five were selected based on which recipes could most easily be made in the temporary kitchen set up at the high school due to construction. The recipes were made without the use of an oven and also had to be cost effective. 
The Food Innovations course has been offered as an elective course for students grades nine through 12 since 2000. This quarter there are 26 students, or 13 groups of two. During the course each group developed a new food product, or prototype recipe, while figuring out how to best prepare it, package it, market it and sell it. 
“It was just a way to broaden our curriculum and give the kids more of a global perspective on the food development process,” said Family and Consumer Science teacher Michele Lindquist. “It is not just what you make at home. There is a bigger picture as far as the process goes. I wanted to give them an all-encompassing course that is not just cooking.”