Riverwood Charter Students Cook Up Successful Thanksgiving Fundraiser

Students at Riverwood International Charter School recently put their cooking skills to the test in their first-ever Thanksgiving fundraiser.

Students in the school’s Culinary Arts program, under the direction of Chef Elissa Oliver, baked hundreds pies for their fundraiser.

Students spent three weeks baking, testing and perfecting recipes. In the week leading up to the Thanksgiving break, the Raider kitchens turned out over 250 pumpkin, apple, chocolate and coconut chess pies.

Asked if the students had a particular favorite, Oliver said, “Hands down, the students preferred chocolate.”

“When I approached the students with the fundraising idea, they were somewhat leery,” Oliver said. “Once the orders started coming in, they got a little more excited and also a bit concerned about the enormity of the task ahead. They tackled the job with poise, learned a great deal about kitchen management and, of course, can now bake pies like the pros. The food and hospitality business is all about pleasing our customers. We hope the people who eat our pies are as pleased as we are with the product.”

Every student in the program took part in the pie baking. From the entry level to the advanced classes, the project was a lab grade for all of Oliver’s 188 students.

One of the bakers remarked, “Making this many pies helps me understand how to feed the masses.”

Orders came from students, members of the faculty and staff, parents and even members of the community. The most popular pie order, by far, was chocolate.

The Culinary Arts students raised more than $2,250, which will go toward buying new pots and pans, having a guest chef teach a class, pay entrance fees to culinary competitions, as well as purchasing new uniforms and hats.

Based on the success of the inaugural pie sale, Oliver is already looking forward to next year with a few adjustments in mind. Additionally, she would like to double the amount sold for next year.

“We have worked so hard this year perfecting the recipes that next year will be a breeze,” Oliver stated.

Photo: from left to right, Grace Geyer, Sean Walton, Halie Hatch and Victoria Quintana. Credit: Riverwood International Charter School