Culinary students donate Thanksgiving dinners

Bread was cut for the stuffing.

Chef Jack Birren shows students how to properly prepare a turkey.

Beds of apples, oranges, onions and herbs were prepared.

Turkeys rest after being removed from the oven.

WCTC students, faculty and staff are no strangers to giving back to our community. Helping others through service learning is woven throughout the curriculum of college programs, including Culinary Management. For the last several years, students in the Principles of Food Preparation class led by Chef Jack Birren have cooked Thanksgiving meals to feed less fortunate families.

“I’m a big advocate that no one should be hungry,” Birren said. “Students are able to get the experience of ordering, prepping and cooking the product. This is a great opportunity to donate food to families that are less fortunate while students get the experience if they want to go into banquets and do banquet cooking.”

This year, students cooked 30 Thanksgiving meals to feed approximately 180 people. The meals were prepared for WCTC students in need and the Hadfield School Boys & Girls Club – an organization affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee that helps families in need at Hadfield Elementary School in Waukesha.

WCTC Foundation Board member Stuart Schroeder donated the turkeys and Stone Bank Farms Market and Turtle Creek Gardens donated the potatoes. Half of the produce was donated anonymously by one of WCTC’s food suppliers.

Every year, WCTC students complete thousands of service hours for the community. These experiences not only strengthen the valuable partnership between WCTC and its surrounding community, but they also provide a way for students to solidify real world skills to apply to their careers for years to come.