From left, are WCHS juniors Hunter Metzger and Tyler Barber. InkFreeNews photos by Liz Shepherd.

WARSAW — In Warsaw, there are dozens of restaurants to dine at for a quick, casual lunch or an exquisite dinner. However, a unique lunch experience all prepared by local high school students has recently opened to the public for the 2019-20 school year.

Located in the Warsaw Area Career Center, the Blue Apron Restaurant is a student-run, full-service restaurant open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The restaurant is operated by beginning Culinary Arts Students and the Advanced Culinary and Hospitality students, with supervision by Chef Mark Bragg. Students receive high school and college credit while enrolled in the culinary program. They also work to create a new menu every few weeks. The menu features salads, soups, entrées and desserts. The Blue Apron restaurant also has express-to-go box lunches for those who can’t dine in for lunch.

“We switch positions about every three to four weeks,” said WCHS senior Janis Gongwer. “I really think interaction with customers is the best part. A lot of our customers are regulars, so having that and getting to know people on a first-name basis is great.”

She and WCHS junior Roselle Kester are currently working as general managers for the restaurant, greeting customers as they arrive and seating them accordingly.

This year, there are 28 students enrolled in the program. Tippecanoe Valley and Whitko students are also able to participate in the program.

“The Blue Apron program has really helped me be more social,” said WCHS senior Sandra Hartwell. “Last year, I was very quiet. So this has really helped me grow in a social perspective. It’s a great program because the students are the ones running the restaurant. We have good food and good people and it’s pretty cheap for what you get.”

For more information on the Blue Apron restaurant, e-mail [email protected]. Those who would like to dine at the restaurant can e-mail reservations, pre-orders or carry-out to the Blue Apron e-mail by 10 a.m. on the date of service requested.

“I think the two biggest things this program teaches is on technique and skill,” said Gongwer. “In cooking, you have to do everything a certain way. So both of those aspects are really important.”