Prepare and orchestrate an Irish feast for more than 100 people, including a host of dignitaries.
That was the scenario the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Center Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tech students handled with ease on Thursday as they conducted the school’s 25th annual St. Patrick’s Day feast.
With entertainment provided by the An Clár School of Irish Dance and bagpiper Tim Roberts setting a festive mood, students flawlessly executed the restaurant scenario of preparing and serving dozens of meals in a one-hour window.
Students even learned how to properly cure the corned beef – a process that takes about a month, said Chef Paul Dolan, one of the BOCES culinary teachers.
Additionally, the students made from scratch – using wooden spoons and not industrial mixers – “Kathleen Dolan’s famous Irish soda bread” – staying true to the way she made it at home in Ireland, said Chef Dolan, referring to his mother.
Chef Dolan, who has run the event since its inception, said the feast, which was enjoyed by dozens of guests from outside BOCES, provides students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience in preparing for a large-scale dinner.
“You can’t get any more real than pushing 100 dinners out the door all at once,” said Dolan, noting a typical restaurant will serve about 200 meals over the course of several hours.
Students prepared the feast during recent weeks, putting the finishing touches on them Thursday morning in a frenzied but controlled manner.
Menu options included corned beef brisket with cabbage and root vegetables, braised lamb stew with champ, salad and Irish soda bread.
Students enjoyed the lesson and valued the experience it gave them.
“This is a great experience for real-life work. Last time we did this, I was kind of an assistant, but this time I feel like I took charge of the front of the house,” said Lalita Start, who attends the program from Bethlehem.
Classmate Maeve Stynes also praised the experience.
“It’s fun but stressful. It’s a great experience,” the Cohoes student said.
Dolan said the event allows students and the school to shine among guests while imparting cultural learning.
“This is a great day for our school and for our students. We had 90 students from all three culinary arts program classrooms on the Albany Campus taking part and working towards a common goal, and it is reflected in the final product that all of these guests came in and enjoyed,” he said.