STURBRIDGE - Culinary Arts students at Tantasqua Regional High School worked together to create a memorable menu for a Valentine’s Day-themed Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner held Feb. 11 at the Tantasqua Regional High School Cornerstone Café.
According to Culinary Arts instructor Franco Dell‘Olio, the Culinary Arts Advisory Committee, which includes several local chefs, thought that they should find a way to generate enough cash to fund a scholarship.
“We have some strong members,” Dell‘Olio said.
The scholarship will be available for a graduating culinary arts student continuing their education. This is the first year the scholarship is available. They decided a good way to get started fundraising would be to host a Valentine’s Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner.
“We have done something like this before and we’re hoping it’s very successful,” Dell‘Olio said.
The goal is to raise at least $500. Any extra money raised will go to the student activity fund. That fund assists students who may need help paying for their uniform, and helps to finance any field trips.
“Hopefully it’s one of many we’ll have to benefit the culinary scholarships,” Culinary Arts instructor James Boland said.
The teachers and the students worked together to create the delectable menu, which included carrot and tomato cream soup or tossed salad, sirloin roast with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables or shrimp scampi with pasta and mixed vegetables, fresh rolls and Valentine’s cookies. Edible flowers served as garnish.
“I like to cook in the kitchen and I like to be doing something all the time,” Brandon Lockwood, of Sturbridge, said. “It’s going to get me somewhere.”
The students volunteered their time to prepare and serve the meal.
“I came out tonight to help out my fellow classmates,” Colleen Robbins, of Holland, said.
Kit Randall, of Kit and Kaboodle, who is a former teacher at the school, supplied romantic music for the evening.
The Culinary Arts Department also served a special Valentine’s luncheon earlier that day. A Valentine’s-themed cake, baked by Barbara Dupree, was up for raffle and Cornerstone Café cookbooks, containing all original recipes from students, are on sale for $10 each, with proceeds benefitting the scholarship fund.
The Cornerstone Café is open to the public for lunch each Thursday for breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dell‘Olio said he is hoping to expand that to three times a week soon. In addition, they also accept orders for birthday and wedding cakes. For more information, call (508) 347-3045 or e-mail delloliof@tantasqua.org.