Baking delicious sweets and mastering menu items is giving students who help run Yuille Park Community College's cafe confidence in the kitchen, a host of life skills and lessons learned outside the classroom.
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The school's Colour My Community Cafe has reopened to the public on Thursdays and the young kitchen hands are keen to welcome the public inside.
Students from years six, seven and eight spend one day a week helping run all aspects of the cafe.
The cafe had a healthy number of diners visiting before COVID and is now able to again serve members of the general public.
"The cafe is a huge program for us and we are looking to generate community engagement and for families and the community to come in ... and give our kids the opportunity to work with different people in the community," said Yuille Park Community College principal Brett Shillito.
On the menu this week was cauliflower soup, pork and apple sausage rolls, Mexican loaded baked potatoes, lemon curd muffins, chocolate raspberry brownies and white chocolate and macadamia biscuits.
The menu caters for dietary requirements including vegetarian and gluten free options.
Mr Shillito said the focus was on delicious, healthy, and inexpensive meals and snacks that children could also create at home.
"We keep it low cost and very affordable. The big thing is the life-long skills it give kids, the sense of confidence in an almost workplace and the ability to do things for themselves at home."
At the same time they are gaining hospitality skills, gaining confidence interacting with teachers and community members, and building teamwork.
"The big thing is teamwork and really understanding their role and the greater role within the kitchen and ... working out how to collaboratively work and learn together," Mr Shillito said.
It also builds on the school's Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program which involves students from grade three onwards growing their own produce and coming together to cook meals with it in the kitchen.
Chef Hayley Ellis has swapped a commercial kitchen for the school kitchen and cafe.
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"It's interesting watching them come from the classroom to the cafe. They become a different version of themselves," she said. "They gain confidence, they are able to communicate with staff on a different level."
But one of the favourite times of cafe day comes after lunchtime, around 2.15pm, when the children and cafe helpers take some time out for themselves.
"We always make sure there are plenty of leftovers so the favourite part of the day is when everyone sits down and shares a meal together," Mr Shillito said.
Yuille Park's Colour My Community Cafe is open every Thursday during school terms from 11.30am to 1pm. The weekly menu is posted to the school's Facebook page and newsletter each Friday and food must be ordered before 4pm Tuesday. Orders can be made through the school office on 5339 5555.
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