Programs - Hospitality and Food Technology

Hospitality and Food Technology, Term 1 2021

After a rather interesting year for all involved, our students and staff are happy to be back in the kitchens during this new school year.  There have been some significant changes at the College however, the Community Gardens are still growing fruit and vegetables, nurtured by students, Food Technology staff and the maintenance team, over the holiday periods.

Ms Jeffree has commenced the Safe Food Handling workshop with her Year 8 classes, thus ensuring all students are educated and confident in applying the importance of safe food handling, awareness of allergies and correct cleaning procedures.  This will also come to great benefit once students commence their PBL Café program, in Year 9.

Our junior classes have increased as the interest in cooking has spread; some like to dabble; some like to eat but most have a genuine interest in the process and science behind creating beautiful and healthy food options.  Year 7 classes have been able to use the outdoor classroom spaces for some food tasting and evaluation, providing them with the underpinning knowledge for the design process, as their learning complexity increases over time.

Food Studies classes have shifted to the 5-Loaves Patisserie kitchen, where the focus has been more on healthy street food and sweets/dessert options: a perfect theme for this program. From Japanese vegetable pancakes (Okonomyaki) and Spanakopita (Greek Spinach pie), Ms Thomas (Chef Karla) and her students have been filling the space with some wonderful aromas and delights that would make anyone’s mouth water!  It is worth the detour if you are heading this way…

The Café Program, conducted in the Canteen with Ms Hall, has never been more popular. Students are encouraged to learn and work outside of their comfort zone, whilst developing/building on skills such as: teamwork, problem solving, working with others, operating a cash register, safe food handling, to name a few.  Students in this PBL program commence in the 5-Loaves Patisserie, then move to the Canteen and spend one day with Ms Taylor in the Restaurant, learning and practicing their coffee making skills in the Barista Workshop.  On their final day in the program, student mentor their peers who have just joined the two-week Café Program.  Thank you to Mr Laing for all the work behind the scenes as Year 9 Program Coordinator.

The St John’s VET Hospitality program has commenced with great rigour; starting with the Student Leaders’ dinner in SPAC, hosted by a combination of students: Hospitality, Kitchen Operations and Patisserie. The evening was a great success, and it is worth mentioning, our Hospitality students had only completed 2 VET sessions before their big night. 

The Graduates’ Restaurant is in full swing again, with 20 dates booked over the four school terms.  We ask patrons to be mindful of the construction work going on, with access to the Restaurant amongst some screening.  Construction will not impact the VET classes/Restaurant bookings, however our bottles in the bar have been ‘Shaken, not stirred’, as the vibrations have moved bottles of the shelf!