Khalil Hopkins taking orders from the guests Jackie Rayburn, David Start and Brandon Wyatt.
By: Susan Passmore, Special to the Magazine
There’s a new restaurant in town, and it just might be worthy of a five-star review!
In October, Stuart Career Tech High School (SCTHS) opened Titan Table, a restaurant on campus run by dual credit Culinary Arts students in the Culinary Arts Academy. Students in the academy take 12 dual credit classes with Lee College. Chef Tina Andrade and Chef Kylie Sobczak teach the courses at SCTHS, and the senior students, under Andrade’s direction, work at the restaurant on Thursdays.
Titan Table gives students work-based learning experiences as they rotate through the jobs of running the host stand and serving as waiters, cooks and dishwashers.
“We are tying curriculum from other classes they are taking into creating and serving food in the restaurant, and the students have some input into the meals,” Andrade said. “A fall class was American Regional Cuisine, so we are offering Cajun cuisine, consisting of boudin balls with creole dipping sauce, chicken and sausage jambalaya and bread pudding with creamy vanilla sauce one day and California cuisine, which is taco soup or cobb salad, Baja fish tacos and molten lava chocolate cakes on another Thursday. We also have a pizza oven.”
Guests must pre-register and pre-pay for the meal on the Stuart Career Tech High School website (https://www.gccisd.net/StuartTech) by Monday at 2 p.m. the week of the meal service. The meal is $12, including iced tea or water. Serving times are 11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 12 noon at 300 YMCA Drive, Baytown, TX.
“The Titan Table is an amazing opportunity for our students to get real world experience in the restaurant industry, from chef to server. It is also a wonderful way for the community to enjoy a three-course meal prepared from senior students who are working on receiving their associates degree and certificates in Culinary Arts,” Kelley Start, SCTHS principal, said. “While we continue to make tweaks to better serve the community through our website and pre-purchased tickets, there is no doubt that the students are creating delectable cuisine for all to enjoy.”
The atmosphere at the Titan Table is relaxing, with flowers on the tables and soft music playing. Students are dressed for their roles, and the aroma wafting across the room is only a preview of the delicious meal that is to come.
“This is a great experience, especially getting to work with my peers so that we understand the kitchen environment,” senior Diego Reyes said. “We do each task and see how it works in a real restaurant kitchen.”