Learning life-long skills at the Café @ Maryland Hall

I am an AACPS: Alum, Severna Park High School & Center of Applied Technology–South

I worked at the Café at Maryland Hall from the time it opened in May 2018 through June 2019 and have really liked being part of the team.  The Café is unique because it’s run by Maryland Hall and Anne Arundel County Public Schools and gives students real life business experience serving the public. Food is prepared by students in the culinary program at the Center of Applied Technology (CAT)-South and students work here during and after school and on weekends.

I started attending CAT-South as a freshman in the career exploration program. I decided to go into the culinary arts program because I was a food nerd and the fact that I could learn in depth about food and culture was great. A lot about the program drew me in and I completed Level II when I was a junior with my Servsafe Certification and NOCTI industry certification. I took Level III this year as well and I’ve been able to learn a lot of practical business skills I can use outside of the program.

Last year, I was looking for work experience when the opportunity to become a paid intern at the Café @ Maryland Hall presented itself. Before the cafe really opened, we (the other students in the program and myself) came here to get everything set up and learn how to operate the machines, like the brewer, grinder, and cash register. It was a big whirlwind but it was really cool to be able to open this space.

After working in the Café for a year, being able to apply skills I learned in the culinary program here in the café has definitely been my favorite part. The skills I learned as theory at CAT South are the same skills that I practice at the Café. Now, I’ve been accepted at Salisbury University and plan to become a high school history teacher, but the skills that I’ve learned here are skills that I can use anywhere.

At CAT-South and at the Café, you have students from lots of areas of the county coming together, which gives you a lot of different perspectives and a lot of different backgrounds. Whether you’re running a meeting or making food, you need to be able to work together with people who are different from you. I’ve also gotten better at public speaking and communicating with people I don’t know, which will be helpful when I need to speak to a bunch of students!

If I could share a message with other people in the community, it would be come on into the Café! Stop around to have a bit to eat. You’re not only getting good food and a great cup of coffee, you’re also helping our students here learn how to work and learn how to run a business.