New Kensington's latest lunch spot is an education in eating

Anyone looking to get into New Kensington’s newest lunch spot is going to need a reservation.

The “Culinary Corner Cafe” at the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center, next to Valley High School, began opening to the public for lunch on Tuesdays this month, with a different food theme weekly.

The menu this week was “Asian-inspired,” with vegetable lo mein, beef and broccoli, fried rice and chicken fried rice, steamed rice, teriyaki chicken and several dessert choices including homemade fortune cookies.

Because the school will be closed March 18, the next lunch will be March 25, featuring soups and breads.

The buffet, open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., costs $7, cash only.

Paula Thomas, of New Kensington, came back Tuesday after being there for the first lunch last week. She said a friend found it on the school’s Facebook page, where the menu is provided and reservations are taken.

“We’ll be guinea pigs for them,” said Thomas, on break from her work as a bus aide for the Plum School District. “Everything’s very good. The kids are very friendly and nice.”

Paula Davidson, of Harrison, said word already must be getting out because the dining area was busier Tuesday than last week.

“I hope it takes off for them,” she said. “It’s nice to have something other than McDonald’s.”

The food is prepared by the nearly 50 students in the school’s culinary arts program, led by instructor Emily Beerbroer, in her second full year at the school. She studied culinary arts at Westmoreland County Community College and was a pastry chef before becoming a teacher.

Northern Westmoreland serves the Burrell, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area and New Kensington-Arnold school districts.

“It gives them a good idea what it’s going to be like working in the industry,” Beerbroer said. “Part of what they need to learn is customer service.”

Opening the school to the public for lunch was the idea of the school’s director, Jason Hicks, who wants to grow the program and get more community involvement in the school. It required getting licensed for a retail establishment from the city.

“It comes down to training kids so they can leave high school and be job ready,” Hicks said.

Darius Carlson, 15, a freshman from Kiski Area, said he wants to be a chef, inspired by watching his mother cook.

“I just fell in love with food, and decided I want to learn how to cook and be a chef,” he said.

For the comfort foods served that first week, Carlson helped prepare strombolis and a vegan meatloaf.

“I was anxious at first, hoping they would like the food,” he said. “I was glad they liked the food.”

Aaden Haas, 16, a sophomore at Valley High School has dreams of one day having his own food truck. He’s among students who, because of their schedules, prepare the food in the morning but can’t be there when diners come.

“It gives us experience on how the real world is and gives us confidence for things,” he said. “It’s really good food.”

Joselyn Wagner, 15, a freshman from Burrell draws her interest in cooking from her parents, but culinary is a second career choice for her after marine biology.

Serving lunch to the public is “a great way to improve our work ethic,” she said. “I want to know how to make their food better.”

She’d like to see a future lunch feature seafood or Indian food.

“I love the food here,” she said. “The people making things here have genuine talent for what they do.”

New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is the superintendent of record for the center. He sang the praises of the first lunch on March 4 to the New Kensington-Arnold School Board that night.

“The CTC has gone above and beyond expectations in delivering quality training for our students. The quality of service and food preparation are just one example of the great things our kids are able to produce,” he said.

“We are very lucky to have leadership at the CTC that invests in ways to deliver high quality career embedded learning experiences. Opening this to the public is a positive step towards showcasing the importance of career pathways.”

As it becomes more established, Beerbroer said, she’d like to be open for lunch on more days of the week and take card payments instead of only cash.

Customers should expect good food and to leave full, she said.

“We want people to leave here and say, wow, that’s the best I ever had,” Beerbroer said.