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North kids are cookin' Class is learning the business of food Photo by Bob Pennell North Medford High seniors Matt Worden, left, and Brett Watson cook up some chowder during their "Tornado to Go" cooking class. By JONEL ALECCIA Tatchiana Blanz was working hard in her business class, struggling to get the problem at hand just right. At issue were questions of inventory management and quality control, timely delivery and customer satisfaction. In the end, the 14-year-old North Medford High School student settled on the correct approach: She added a little more ice cream. "There!" she said, quickly spreading a thick layer of vanilla across a mint chocolate cookie. The freshman topped the concoction with another cookie, smoothed the edges, then deftly wrapped the finished ice cream sandwich in plastic. "We're making about 130 of these for this weekend. Or maybe it's 150," she explained. The treats were for a school-sponsored conference the next weekend. Blanz, who hopes one day to become a caterer, is among a dozen North High students getting a hands-on introduction to food service. She's enrolled in "Tornado to Go," a catering class that provides take-out fare for school functions -- and dinners for lucky staff members. The class, which began in January, was proposed by Kathleen Albiani, the North High foods teacher who wanted a more tangible way to introduce interested students to catering careers. It sprang from a lunchtime service, "the Cultural Cafe," which provides exotic midday meals for staffers. "The cafe we run is so popular, the teachers started saying, `We want dinner, too"' she said. So Albiani quickly complied, putting together lesson plans and menu plans for a take-out service that offers baking mixes, desserts and nightly meals to a limited number of patrons. "We did Valentine's Day, we did Irish Soda bread," Albiani said. "Last week we did lasagne and Caesar salad for dinner." Terri Bish, a North High Spanish teacher, was among the lucky recipients. For $10, she took home enough frozen spinach lasagne and salad to feed her family -- and she provided students with an economics lesson in the bargain. The lessons the students learn are many and varied. The class began with a unit on budgeting and included subjects ranging from anticipating demand to dealing with fluctuating grocery prices. "I've learned more in here than I have in any other class," said Amanda Josalle, 18, a senior. "I learned how much you have to buy and how much you have to charge." Of course, she and other students also learned how to cook. On a recent day, half the class was preparing a batch of clam chowder and jalapeno cornbread for take-out dinners, while the other half worked on ice cream sandwiches. "I like preparing food for other people," said Brett Watson, 18, a senior who expects to pursue a career in food service. "I've learned a lot about garnishing." So far, Watson and the other students have earned a little more than $200 for their catering efforts. They haven't yet decided what to do with the money, but most agree that cash isn't their best incentive for good work. "We get to eat what we make," Josalle said. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA