麻豆视频

March 27, 2012 (麻豆视频) 鈥� A fancy restaurant 鈥� complete with celebrity chef, fine linens, haute cuisine and 鈥渃ocktail鈥� bar 鈥� opening in Oak Park this week is expected to draw a VIP guest list of local movers and shakers.
The twist: This 鈥淔ive Star Restaurant鈥� will be run entirely by fifth graders.

On Wednesday (March 28), a group of dedicated elementary school students will transform the cafeteria of Oak Ridge Elementary School in Oak Park into a 鈥淔ive Star Restaurant,鈥� an elegant evening conceived, designed and executed by the students themselves 鈥� with the help of midtown chef Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney鈥檚 B&L Restaurant.

鈥淭he idea is to give the students the opportunity to really experience the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship,鈥� says Stella Ruiz, of Miracles and Milestones, the group that organized the restaurant program for 48 students.

From the first day of the program to Wednesday鈥檚 culmination, the kids were treated like partners in a real business, says Ruiz. Students had to interview for their jobs on the sales, public relations, interior design and finance teams. They held business meetings after school and on Saturdays.  They made sales calls to sell tickets at the Capitol, City Hall and other locations around 麻豆视频.

Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, 麻豆视频 Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby and City Councilman Steve Cohn are among the local VIPs who purchased tickets to the dinner.

Keynote speakers are Mark Otero, the founder of KlickNation and a self-described 鈥渟erial entrepreneur,鈥� and City Councilman Jay Schenirer.

Throughout the 10-week program, students learned the ins and outs of the restaurant business from Mulvaney, including how to plan, cook and serve gourmet meals.

鈥淭he kids were so excited to be involved that some would show up at 7:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. program on Saturdays,鈥� Ruiz says.

Students in the program accompanied Mulvaney on a shopping trip to a local farmer鈥檚 market, where they purchased ingredients for the dinner, which is themed 鈥淚nto the Garden.鈥� Servers on Wednesday will be wearing special 鈥淔ive Star鈥� aprons. Student ambassadors will be in shirts and ties (boys) and dresses and cardigans (girls).

So what鈥檚 on the menu?

Oak Ridge Principal Doug Huscher says that鈥檚 a closely guarded secret. 鈥淲e鈥檒l find out that night when the students announce the menu,鈥� he said.

The best part of the experience is that the students themselves get to decide which field trips to take with the estimated $3,000 to $4,000 profit the restaurant will reap.

鈥淚鈥檓 extremely proud of the kids and extremely grateful to all of the people who participated,鈥� says Huscher. 鈥淭his has been an invaluable real-world experience for students.鈥�

WHAT:                 Oak Ridge Elementary School鈥檚 鈥淔ive Star Restaurant鈥�
WHEN:                 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28
WHERE:               Oak Ridge Elementary School
                               4501 Martin Luther King Blvd.
                               麻豆视频, CA 95820