When it comes to exclusive dining, second graders at Kalona Elementary School set a standard hard to beat. Open for four weeks in April and May, the students served a full lunch each Thursday, and their customers were teachers, administrators, students and volunteers. Without a doubt, it was a popular place, and seating was definitely limited.

The project was part of a unit and the Homemade Cooking Restaurant taught the students the basis of setting menus (based on the food pyramid), finding proper utensils, cooking, baking, serving and cleaning. Each group set its meal prices based on costs and collected payment from customers.

The students served approximately 30 meals each Thursday.

Before they opened their own restaurant students visited the Pizza Hut in Coralville, touring facilities, learned to make pizza and had lunch. The next tour, at the Bake House, showed them how bread was made and they were impressed with the brick oven that weighs eight tons. Final stop was Hy-Vee where they were allowed into the huge coolers, visited the meat department and witnessed the “behind the scenes” workings of a major grocery store.

Students were accompanied by Brenda Peter, Sherri Miller-Thompson, Linda Oldfield and Kim Juilfs.

The students also learned about food, money and nutrition from a number of books covering everything from food to math and social studies.

To make the restaurant a reality involved a number of volunteer assistants: Kim Thomann, Jane Schlabaugh, Bobbi Hershberger, Katie Swartzentruber, Deb Hochstetler, Delores Leichty and Twila Beachy.

The students held an Open House May 10 to thank all their helpers. Each student, customer, and helper received a recipe book that featured all the items served at the restaurant. Teacher for the 2-1 class is Kim Juilfs.