Students at Yale Elementary School enjoyed a full course meal during the school’s first fine dining event. The dessert of chocolate and blood orange mousse with whipped cream was a favorite.
Students at Yale Elementary School recently learned proper table manners and enjoyed a catered multi-course meal specially prepared by Woodland Public Schools’ food services during the first Fine Dining Event at the school.
In past years, head of Nutrition Services for Woodland Public Schools Laura Perry held the annual Fine Dining Event for a third grade class at Woodland Intermediate School. Following the reorganization of elementary schools in the districts, the principals of the three elementary schools asked if Perry could host a fine dining event at each school.
“I’ve really wanted to do the event at each of the district’s schools, so I was excited to have the opportunity this year,” she said in a news release. “I decided to start with Yale so I could capture the changing colors of the leaves with a menu featuring hearty colder-weather foods.”
Located more than 20 miles outside the rest of Woodland Public Schools, Yale School enrolls between 40 and 50 students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade. As it is a small and remote school, its kitchen facilities are also small.
“We had to prepare some of the courses using the high school’s cafeteria and then cook the courses up at Yale,” she said in the release. “My only concern was fitting everything in my car for the trip up, but that wasn’t an issue at all.”
Perry visited the students in advance to teach students proper table manners, appropriate meal conversation tactics and the use of a wide variety of silverware.
“Many younger students have little to no experience with the different aspects of fine dining,” she said in the release. “Our annual Fine Dining Event provides a great way for students to learn proper table manners while also having the chance to try delicious food that might be new to them.”
According to the release, this year’s three-course menu featured an appetizer of fruit ambrosia salad with seasoned pumpkin seeds followed by an entrée of three cheese macaroni and cheese with bacon and Italian herb breadsticks. For dessert, students enjoyed chocolate and blood orange mousse with whipped cream.
