On December 1, 2017, students from Foods 12 classes took part in a food competition that was held by the Foods teachers. They designed this lab to help students prepare for future businesses and responsibility within the food industry.

Katelyn McCormick and Ana Popa.

Mr. Cary Brett, a Foods Teacher at Riverside, created a project to get students immersed in a collaborative, working environment. The students had a week to come up with ideas for a “Food Truck Competition” that was later judged by the teachers based on creativity, production, and advertisement. “When I became a Foods 12 teacher last year, the project popped into my head, and I went to Mrs. Susan Henderson to share the idea. We’re still constantly morphing it and changing the project, but we have some big plans ahead,” said Brett.

The class was split into six different groups, where each had to create their own unique and creative food truck business. “The food truck competition was about letting the students get creative and innovative with their food choices. The project started with me liking food trucks and wanting to bring that into the classroom,” said Brett.

Students working hard on their projects.

First, students had to create a theme, including a logo and type of brand. The next day, the students created the grocery list, planned out all the costs and organized the products to prevent them from passing their budget. On the third day, they chose one out of their three recipes to create and present to the judges at the end of the week. The last day was their “Dragon’s Den” style presentations where they presented a visual of their food truck along with a recipe of their choosing, and an outlined plan of how they would advertise and sell their food products.

The student’s groups were judged based on how well each group worked together, how much they brainstormed and contributed ideas, and how much participation there was during the process throughout the week. “I opened up the judging to the teachers. I think it’s neat for the other teachers in the school to see some of these students do well in other areas. Some students who might not be the most academic, but are really creative and very hands on, got a chance to showcase their abilities,” said Brett.

“This project was beneficial to the Grade 12’s because it put together all the knowledge the students learned through Foods 10 and 11, and up to this point through Foods 12 to help them. I think this project was a good way for them to showcase their ability,” said Brett. The Food Truck competition is a great way to immerse the Grade 12s into a working environment to prepare them for future careers in food areas.