The new culinary teacher, Mrs. Upson, and her students have restarted an old Marriotts Ridge program called Blue Page, which serves staff a monthly treat made by the students. So far, teachers and students alike have expressed positive feedback for Mrs. Upson’s idea.
Blue Page is a revised version of Mustang Cafe, which was run by the previous culinary teacher. Culinary programs like these not only provide students with valuable hands-on experience but also create a positive and collaborative atmosphere between students and staff.
In the heart of culinary creativity, Mrs. Upson decided to kickstart Blue Page with the help of Culinary Club president, Darren Wang after a number of staff members came to her with the idea of renewing what was once Mustang Cafe.
“So Darren and I sat down and kind of brainstormed some ideas of how we could do it, but improve it. And we came up with the concept of Blue Page, which is kind of an elevated menu selection that we try to offer to staff at least on a monthly basis from culinary students,” Mrs. Upson said.
So far, Blue Page has been beneficial to the school community. The program has allowed culinary students more opportunities, which boosts morale and confidence in their culinary expertise. One of the things that Mrs. Upson prioritizes when selecting a menu for Blue Page is student familiarity. She tries to pick meals that culinary students have been practicing in class or Wang has been experimenting with for the Culinary Club.
Not only is this encouraging for the students, but it also helps avoid turning the monthly treat into “a guinea pig type scenario for the staff, where they’re getting something that people haven’t had a chance to practice before they put it out there for staff to enjoy,” Mrs. Upson said.
This practice has certainly paid off. While Blue Page is still a relatively new concept to Marriotts Ridge, many of the teachers have enjoyed these monthly offerings. The majority of the feedback has been very positive and constructive, with there being many suggestions like more choices in ordering, which both Mrs. Upson and Wang are considering.
One of the most uplifting comments has been from media specialist, Mrs. Rashid who claimed, “Lunch was delicious, and I got to feel altruistic about buying ‘takeout’. I hope [Blue Page has] lots of orders.”
Blue Page has most definitely been accepted here at MRHS, with many teachers looking forward to all of the new recipes being planned for the future. Despite only being in its first year, Blue Page has had heaps of success for both students and teachers alike, with many more improvements to come. Looking to the future, Mrs. Upson and Wang are hoping to add more ordering options, improve the planning and ordering process, as well as come up with new recipes, and receive more orders and feedback from staff.