Pier W sous chef Jack Ahern, a member of the advisory board for Ranger Café @ West Shore, and student Sam Odetallah prepare food for the lunch crowd. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Student-run restaurant opens
By Danielle Toth
Lakewood
Published Feb. 3, 2010

The kitchen is bustling with activity. Busy hands are transporting hot plates and cool buckets of ice as quickly as possible. Voices are calling out across the room to communicate orders. Pots and pans are clanging. Fresh, steaming plates of food are placed on a shelf and almost immediately taken to hungry restaurant-goers.

This could be a typical kitchen at any restaurant, but today it is the scene at Lakewood High School’s new student-run restaurant, Ranger Café @ West Shore. The 50-seat restaurant had its grand opening last week.

“The whole idea is to make this just like the real world,” said chef Rob McGorray, head instructor of the West Shore Career-Technical District’s culinary arts program. “This is not your usual class. The students are wearing uniforms, working in the kitchen and waiting on the general public. It’s the real thing.”

The restaurant is housed in the newly renovated west wing of Lakewood High School that was opened in August. The West Shore Career-Technical District, housed in the new facility, teaches students from communities including Rocky River, Lakewood, Bay Village and Westlake vocational skills, including biotechnology, construction trades, accounting and financial services, business management and interactive media. There are 22 programs in total, said Linda Thayer, director of the West Shore Career-Technical District.

“It’s very important for students to have something like this on their resume,” Thayer said. “Many companies who have had our students hire and keep them on. It’s good for the individual and good for the prospective employer. It’s a win-win.”

Students Jessica Nieves and Bianca Beltran serve lunch to Lakewood recreation employees Carol Krumreig and Mike Callahan.

The Culinary Arts/ProStart Internship program is a two-year curriculum designed by the National Restaurant Association for students who wish to pursue a career in the food service and hospitality industry. The program is open to juniors and seniors.

The state-of-the art commercial kitchen allows the approximately 40 students in the program to receive hands-on restaurant experience.

The students had some input on the menu, which was created around instructional needs, McGorray said. Interactive media students designed the menu.

Soups and salads include soup of the day, quiche of the day and several different salads, including a caprese salad and West Shore Chicken Salad. Entrees include stuffed roasted chicken breast and seafood of the day. Sandwiches include the Lakewood Club and Rocky River Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta Bread. Side dishes are french fries, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes and risotto of the day. The menu rounds out with desserts, which include a chocolate mousse cake and apple tart.

Besides cooking, the students also learn the inventory and ordering process, although the instructors do the actual ordering, said Devan Sharosky, junior instructor of the program. Students also learn the point-of-sale system, in which servers use a touch-screen monitor to send orders to the kitchen. The orders go to specific stations, such as the dessert station for an order of apple tart. The students will rotate positions throughout the semester.

“Because we’re opening in the second semester, the students probably won’t get the opportunity to do every station,” Sharosky said. “They pick their ideal station and we try to grant that. We will rotate them, but it takes time to retrain each student on a different station.”

James Gajewski, a Lakewood student, said he joined the program because a friend persuaded him. Before the program, he was considering a career in architecture. He now wants to pursue a culinary career, he said.

“I’m hoping to attend John Carroll University and then the Culinary Institute of America,” Gajewski said. “From Day One, I knew I really loved this career. I’ve really enjoyed the program.”

John Rodriguez, a Westlake student, joined the program because he thought it would be a good experience. Rodriguez said he hopes to be an entertainer, but may also pursue a culinary career.

“My family’s always told me I make the best desserts,” he said. “I like making pastries. Culinary arts is just one opportunity for my future.”

The restaurant is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the school year at 14100 Franklin Ave. Restaurant-goers are asked to use the visitors’ entrance off Franklin Avenue. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (216) 529-4165. For a full menu selection, visit www.lakewoodcityschools.org and click on West Shore CTD under Schools.

On the Web:

• Ranger Cafe @ West Shore