Students and staff in the Mid-Prairie School District received a formal four-course meal Friday thanks to a group of young chefs, waiters and designers. 

The Mid-Prairie Etiquette Dinner served as an opportunity for students in the high school’s Culinary II and Housing and Interior Design classes and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to put together a formal dining experience for Mid-Prairie’s 8th grade students, staff and members of the community. Over 120 participants were greeted and shown to their seats upon arrival with bread and soup served shortly after introductions. Following the appetizers, participants enjoyed a caesar salad while final preparations were being made for the main course. Included in the main course were pork chops in a cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. Before wrapping up the meal, participants enjoyed a small helping cheesecake balls. Family and Consumer Science teacher Glenda Seward says that with a collaboration of over 230 people, they could not have pulled it off without everyone doing their part, “I want to be sure to thank everyone who was in any way helping support this. Like I told my students, it can’t happen without the servers, it can’t happen without the dishwashers, it can’t happen without the support people that helped put it together. It was a true team effort.”

Seward added that Nutrition Director Cory Evans helped train students in the Basic Food and Culinary II courses to help them better understand catering. She says that the five students in the Culinary II course are ServSafe Manager certified and that they received training beyond basic kitchen operations such as catering and working with meats. Seward says that all operations went very well and that she is proud of all her students. To hear more from Seward, listen to Monday’s JJ Nichting Company In Touch with Southeast program under the podcast tab.