Each Wednesday, students in the Academies of Chapel Hill Culinary Arts program transform their classroom into the Bulldog Bistro, serving freshly prepared meals to district employees and adult community members while gaining valuable industry experience.
Led by Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism instructor Billie Hubbard, the Bulldog Bistro gives students opportunities to learn, develop and strengthen their skills in a working food-service environment.
“The Bulldog Bistro is a program for culinary arts students to gain hands-on experience in an ever-changing food-service industry,” Hubbard said.
The Bistro is entirely student-run with guidance from Hubbard and the program’s instructional aide. Students manage many responsibilities necessary for a successful meal service, including cooking, baking, frying, chopping and slicing ingredients, cleaning the kitchen and serving customers.
Working directly with customers also allows students to practice skills that extend beyond food preparation. Through each interaction, students develop communication, teamwork, customer-service and other workplace skills that will help prepare them for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries.
The weekly service also creates opportunities for students to build relationships with Chapel Hill ISD employees and members of the community outside the classroom. Each customer becomes part of the students’ learning experience by giving them an opportunity to practice professionalism, respond to customer needs and take pride in the meals they prepare.
Adult community members are welcome to visit the Bulldog Bistro for lunch. Guests should check in at the front office upon arrival. Due to Child Nutrition policies, students are not permitted to purchase meals from the Bistro.
The Bulldog Bistro is open Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Menu selections and prices vary each week based on current market costs and the ingredients required for each meal.
By supporting the Bulldog Bistro, customers receive a student-prepared meal while helping aspiring culinary professionals build confidence, strengthen their skills and experience the demands and rewards of serving real customers.