At the 544 Cafe, high school students gain hands-on culinary experience while serving their community. Open during the school year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, it offers students from both Wylie High and Wylie East the opportunity to work in a real restaurant setting. Built in 2015 as a state-of-the-art learning facility, the cafe’s mission is to prepare students for future careers that delve in hospitality and the food industry.
“I think this gives me the opportunity to give good quality restaurant service because this season we are actually busy on a relatively daily basis,” Decklin Roberts (12) said.
Seeing upper-level students succeed in the cafe motivates younger culinary students to work towards similar goals.
“I hope to learn how to, you know, handle people in the food service industry and handle working with a whole group of people to, you know, make things,” said Sloane Gregg (10), “I just really like cooking for people and making people happy.”
However, it takes time and dedication to develop the skills needed to help run the cafe. Students must advance through several courses before gaining credit to handle this level of responsibility
“I started freshman year with principals, and then sophomore year I moved up to Intro to Culinary and then junior and senior year. I’ve done practicum,” Roberts said.
The 544 started operating Oct. 9, and alongside staying open from 11:30 to 1 p.m., they are also open earlier in the day during breakfast hours.
“We are open for breakfast from 8 to 9, and there is a baking class that runs fifth and sixth period that makes bakes and baked goods for both different competitions and for sale during the restaurant,” Roberts said.
Keeping the cafe running in a practical, efficient manner requires commitment from everyone in culinary, not just those who work directly with customers. On Oct. 8 make sure to head out and support the 544 cafe in honor of its recent opening.