Fairfield Ludlowe Students Discover The Joys Of Cooking

FAIRFIELD, CT — For the students who staff Fairfield Ludlowe High School's Falcon's Nest restaurant, learning to cook is a cool experience.

"My sister, Madeline, was part of the Falcon's Nest, and she used to come home with all these great recipes," Morgan McGowan, a junior at Ludlowe, told Patch. "It made me want to be a part of it, too."

The students, who are in the school's food services class, run the Falcon's Nest with the help of teacher Melanie Underwood Karmazin, a restaurateur and cookbook author. The restaurant puts together weekly menus of meals that teachers can order and enjoy.

Late last month, the students showcased their culinary skills to celebrate a partnership with Whitsons Culinary Group, the school system's food services provider, and Red Tomato, a food hub that provides ecologically sound foods from area farms.

Under the partnership, Whitsons and Red Tomato bring seasonally available, locally sourced produce to Fairfield Public Schools cafeterias. The district is the first in Connecticut to participate in Whitsons' Greenleaf program partnership under Red Tomato's EcoCertified™ program.

Since December, Red Tomato has provided more than 200 bushels of apples to Fairfield schools, as part of the program.

"We're the school lunch provider, but we're also dedicated to providing the freshest produce and fruit for students," Randy Brochu, Whitsons' community engagement manager, told Patch.

The tasting event was attended by First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, state Sen. Tony Hwang, Schools Superintendent Michael Testani, Board of Education member Christine Vitale, and other officials.

"The students love being here, and it shows," Hwang said. "The Falcon's Nest is a real source of pride."

For the event, the students made a delicious tasting menu of rutabaga and apple slaw, and apple granita with freeze-dried apples, in which they used apples sourced from local farms through the Red Tomato program.

Additionally, the students also beet and black rice salad, whipped feta with pickled daikon tartine, potato leek soup shooters, butternut squash cheesecake and carrot cake trifle.

"These students are learning the importance of access to nutritious foods and meals," Testani said.