James Campbell High School (JCHS) has a new spot to grab a bite, thanks to the Saber Grill. This food stand is run by the JCHS Culinary students, and it is open to all students and staff. You can find it in the T-building courtyard during lunch and snack times. The best part is that everything—like musubis, fried rice, cookies, quesadillas, and drinks—costs only $1. Saber Grill helps students learn real-world job skills while giving everyone on campus an easy and cheap way to get lunch or a snack.
JCHS Culinary student Jaymie Brown said running the Saber Grill is a big job, but it helps him learn. He said the fried rice is better this year, and the biggest thing the grill has taught him is how to plan ahead so all the food is ready before selling day. But Brown also has thoughts about the long lines. Brown said there are “too many cutters” and students who just stand there instead of buying food. To make things better and faster, he said two ideas: a delivery service for some classes with a small fee, and adding more selling spots, like a booth outside with workers handing out food.
A Junior Xavier Tabadilo believes the $1 price for everything is amazing. He said, “It’s a great price.” However, he thinks the grill needs to offer more food options. Xavier said that more choices would help the culinary students learn how to cook new things, and it would let students buy and try new foods. Just like others, Tabadilo said he feels “horrible” about the very long lines and the long wait time to order. To fix this, he suggests a new system where students could pre-order their food and then pick it up by name, or by adding a totally separate line for ordering.
Though the Saber Grill is clearly a success to students—giving students a cheap, easy snack and teaching culinary students job skills—the long lines show that it is even more popular than expected. Student cook Brown and customer Tabadilo both agree that better ways to serve food are needed, such as pre-orders or more separate lines. However, both interviews show that the Saber Grill is worth it. It is a great deal for customers like Xavier, and it gives valuable hands-on practice to students like Brown, proving the JCHS Culinary program is helping feed the school while teaching skills for the future.
