A busy cafeteria line turned into an extended tasting session on Thursday morning as Sask Polytech culinary students opened their latest meat and bake sale.
A brief issue with the billing machine slowed the checkout process, but it turned out to be a boon, as it gave people more time to sample fresh dishes from the live cooking stations while waiting for the sale to begin and taste items they could purchase from the sale.
Instructor Anthony McCarthy said the event was the culmination of a four-day project that brought first and second year students together. He said students were divided into five teams and tasked with preparing salads, desserts, entrees, and a full range of meats and baked items.
“Seeing the sale is the culmination of all the work they have put together,” McCarthy said. “Knife skills is a big one, heat management, and team leadership. Some of the second year students gave a little bit of focus on managing the team and delegating jobs.”
The live stations served beef tacos with fresh coleslaw and in-house salsa, shrimp stir fry, beef stroganoff, and stuffed chicken. McCarthy said the stations were designed to help customers taste items they might not be familiar with. He said sampling helps people feel confident choosing dishes they have never tried before.
The sale drew a lineup well before the doors opened. McCarthy said the event is always popular because of the variety and the low prices.
“We are not here to make money. It is cost recovery,” he said. “Usually it is within half an hour. Today might last a bit longer because we have so much product.”
First-year student Jocelyne Dupuis said the sale is a major hands on learning experience. She described days of preparing breads, dinner rolls, cheesecakes, pork loins, smoked bacon, and five kinds of beef jerky, along with the dishes served at the tasting stations.
“We are practicing a lot of communications, a lot of organization, how to price things, how to market things,” Dupuis said. “If you do not have communications, it can be Hell’s Kitchen.”
Dupuis said students take pride in keeping prices low by selling everything at cost.
“They get everything at cost price,” she said, noting that focaccia that sells for $3.00 at the sale would cost about $6.00 in a store. She said beef jerky and cheesecakes usually sell out first.
Items at the sale are made entirely in the school’s cafeteria kitchen. Nothing is brought from home, and students work through cutting, smoking, baking, and assembling all items on site.
Office Administration instructor Bev Amonson arrived early to make sure she did not miss out. She said the sale is a regular stop for her because of the variety of affordability.
“I came here early because it is really, really busy,” Amonson said. “The earlier you are, the better variety you have.”
She bought a pie, a stuffed pork roast, stuffed chicken, bread, bacon bits, and several other items.
“The prices are great, the variety is good, and it is just a really good deal,” she said. “Every sale is a little different. If you can get foods to take home at a cheaper price, why not?”
McCarthy said watching students work together and interact with customers is one of the most valuable parts of the event.
“You see them happy and smiling,” he said. “They are very proud of the sale.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
