Grade 12 -
Cafeteria Training - Food Preparation

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate proficiency while preparing foods in a hot-food station, cold-food station, and baking station
• demonstrate techniques required in:
  • protein cooking, when preparing meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and seafood
  • starch cooking, when preparing grains and legumes
  • short-order cooking, when preparing hot and cold sandwiches, salads, and hors d'oeuvres
  • preparation of desserts and baked goods
  • garnishing and food presentation
• apply principles of portion, quality, and cost control
• use time effectively

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Cafeteria Training - Food Preparation in grade 11 click on an icon below.

• Plan the rotation of foods in the hot-food station to give students experience in several cooking methods. Foods could include coquilles St.-Jacques, couscous, spicy black bean soup, chili, Monte Cristo sandwiches, and scalloped potatoes.
• Rotate the production in the cold-food station so that students prepare a variety of products such as tea sandwiches, canapés, crudités, and salad dressings.
• Plan the rotation of baking-station menus so that students demonstrate various techniques. Recipes could include pastries, yeast breads, custards, cheesecakes, and frozen desserts.
• Invite a specialist to demonstrate his or her expertise in skills such as cake decorating, confectionery making, or meat cutting. Have students practise the techniques demonstrated.
• Use teacher or guest demonstrations or multimedia presentations to introduce students to challenging recipes (e.g., stuffed chicken breast, rack of lamb, beef roulade, paupiette of salmon).
• Encourage students to maintain portfolios with photographs of their work. Have them display their portfolios and demonstrate garnishing or other food-presentation techniques during a school open house.
• Plan a theme week offering Canadian specialty and ethnic foods in the cafeteria. Ask students to research, promote, and prepare the foods, focussing on quality and effective portion and cost control.
• Have the class plan a catered reception for students from feeder schools, being sure to consider portion, cost, and quality control and to include a work schedule, job allocations, and market orders. Students then prepare the foods and serve their guests.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• Work with students to develop a checklist or rating scale for recording daily observations as they work in various food stations. Criteria might focus on:
  • safe food practices and sanitation
  • safe use and care of equipment and materials
  • independence and self-direction
  • collaboration and teamwork
  • time management
  • quality- and cost-control management
• When students prepare specific menu items such as sandwiches, distribute feedback or assessment sheets to be completed by the teacher, students, and customers. Criteria might include:
  • variety of breads used to add colour and flavour
  • vegetable fillings are fresh and crisp
  • meat, fish, eggs, cheese, or poultry fillings are appropriately prepared and presented
  • tea sandwiches are presented in a variety of shapes (e.g., triangles, squares, rolls)
  • flavourful; bread complements sandwich filling
  • garnish enhances appearance
• Have each student choose a cafeteria item to cost. Ask them to determine the cost of the ingredients and to recommend alternatives that are nutritionally comparable but more cost-effective. Assessment criteria might include:
  • costing is accurate for quantities used
  • total cost of item is accurate
  • alternatives meet or exceed the nutritional components of the original
  • alternatives are more cost-effective
  • choice of alternative shows imagination

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