Bethel Lutheran Students Run Their Own "Restaurant"

02/23/2009 By Danette Thompson

It was a normal Friday for a small group of elementary school students, with one exception: Instead of dinner at home, they were anticipating helping to prepare and serve a meal at their "restaurant."

"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it because at the end you get to eat," fifth-grader Sir McKinney said. "And that food is really good."

Sir and his fourth- through eighth-grade classmates at Bethel Lutheran School in University City spent last Friday evening getting a taste of what it's like to run a restaurant.

For the last 15 years, the students at the school have hosted Casa Bambino, a free dinner for their families, friends and parishioners of Bethel Lutheran Church and a tradition that provides an opportunity for fellowship, learning and community service.

Bethel principal Sandy Kalin said the idea for the dinner started as a Valentine's Day project. A conflict with another annual school service project pushed the dinner to later in February but kept the theme of family togetherness.

"We wanted something special that the kids could do with their parents and that would also be a social time for our families," Kalin said. "It's become something the kids look forward to and really enjoy. The younger ones can't wait until they're old enough to be the servers."

Bethel is much like a family itself. Only about 50 students attend the small parochial school, but they come from 25 different ZIP codes and 15 school districts, so events like these are a chance for the school's children and families to get to know one another and stay in touch.

"I really like it because you get to see people you haven't seen in a long time," eighth-grader Angelica Jones said. "We work, but we have fun."

The work is a learning experience, Kalin said.

On the day of the dinner, students stay after school to help set up their "restaurant." They spend part of their afternoon setting up tables, decorating, assisting with food preparation and making sure there are enough clean dishes for their guests.

The meal itself is cooked by Antya Lentes, a former school secretary who now is a cook for another Lutheran school.

"They learn how to properly set a table, how to prepare and serve a dinner, and what the cleanup involves," Kalin said. "The experience is like running a small restaurant."

The students dress the part, too, Kalin said, wearing black and white, with aprons and chef hats. It may be a working education, but fifth-grader Kelsey Watkins says she doesn't mind.

"I like serving," she said. "I wouldn't want to do it for a job, but it's fun for one night with your family and friends."

Anywhere from 75 to 150 guests show up for a meal of salad, garlic bread, spaghetti, pasta con broccoli and a dessert. The student servers get their meal, too, but not until after everyone else has eaten.

Eighth-grader Ashton Barry has been a server at Casa Bambino for the last four years and says he wouldn't have missed taking part.

"I like helping out, but I like the free dinner, too," he said. "I do other community service projects, but this is one of the best."

Community service is the other important element of Casa Bambino. Starting in first grade, students at Bethel are encouraged to donate one hour of their time to helping in their community. The amount of service time equals their grade level. First-graders give one hour; eighth-graders give eight hours.

Students who meet their goals are recognized at a special ceremony at the end of the school year.

"We encourage them to participate in service projects, not only because more and more high schools have community-service requirements, but because if they start their community service early, then they're more likely to see the benefits of it and will continue it as adults," Kalin said.

Angelica and Ashton, who both will be high school freshmen in August, say they feel better prepared for what will be required of them during the next four years.

"We're used to helping out," Angelica said. "And we know how important it is to do community service."

Helping out, serving, spending time with family and friends and the food itself is all good, Sir said, but there's just one thing about Casa Bambino he would gladly skip.

"I don't wash dishes," he said. "I'm not very good at it. OK, I don't like it. Everything else is good, but there's a lot of dishes."