The culinary pathway is rolling in flavorful bites with the Food Truck Wars. In class at the start of the year, students were challenged by Chef Watson to work together in groups to create a “food truck” theme with their choice of what to serve. They worked to do a ‘first run’ in September by hosting an after school event sharing their trucks with Marietta High School’s industry partners, families and teachers. The industry partners work directly with the career pathway students and teachers helping and sponsoring endeavors like these in a variety of ways. They were the testers of the food for the first run at the event, but the wars will continue to the most anticipated event on Nov. 6 where they will serve students and teachers during 3B lunch blocks in the seminar room.
This was the fifth annual event, and students spent weeks preparing, not only developing recipes, but also planning their menus, designing their trucks, and learning how to attract customers.
“They were so proud of their work. I was proud of them. They were just beaming, and I loved it,” Mrs. Shatala Cain, CTAE assistant prinicipal, said.
According to the Labor Market Analysis from the College and Career Academy and KSU, “formal education is not required for nearly all occupations in the culinary field, most do require an industry certification or credential like ServSafe, which would satisfy the criterion for credential attainment.”
The culinary students learned more than cooking from a recipe though; they learned how to create their own business, while creating graphics and using marketing to promote their trucks.
“This is a really nice idea for kids who want a future in this industry,” said Daysha Mayfield, an industry partner and owner of Sweet Living Bakery.
Other pathways were able to join in on the learning process. Mr. Wardlaw’s graphics and design class helped make logos for advertising for this event. Mr. Barcarse’s construction class helped with the foam cutouts for the trucks design. It was a true collaboration between pathway classes.
“It made great first impressions to industry partners. It was worthwhile collaboration,” Barcarse said.
A second time participant, industry partner from JE Dunn Construction, Will Etheridge, noted the growth of the event in size and quality. Chef Watson made an effort to make sure these teams learned more than just being a chef but actually having real world business opportunities.
“Cozy Cravings Food Truck has been breaking records with their outstanding performance. What began as a school project has quickly grown into a true business success story,” said Chef Watson. “They are currently leading with the highest number of booked catering events, earning them the top spot as #1 Food Truck in three categories: Crowd Favorite, Chef’s Choice, and Total Revenue.”
This N That
The food truck that was voted the fan favorite was This N That Blue Devils. Their menu featured Smashburgers, Fries, Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Caesar Wraps, and Kool-Aid Slushies.
“For an improvement, I would set out more time to grill the smashburgers so we were not crunched on time,” James Persons (12) said.
The inspiration for their cuisine came from wanting to serve crowd-pleasing comfort food with a creative twist. They chose familiar, flavorful items that would appeal to a wide audience, aiming to combine great taste with fast service. Their team brainstormed ideas together, taking feedback from classmates and teachers to refine the menu. They also carefully planned how to organize their cooking stations and workflow to maximize efficiency. While working toward becoming the fan favorite, they also gained valuable insights into running a business and achieving real success.
“Through this product I learned the importance of presentation and advertising,” Ben Cauthen (12) said.
They received the highest number of customer votes at the September event. The entire time, they focused on providing the best recipes and the best service. Their warm hospitality, teamwork, and amazing food were key to their well-earned win.
2 Cart Mario
One of the best food trucks that placed first in the competition according to the industry partner judges was 2 Cart Mario. Their menu was Focaccia Sandwiches.
“The bread was the hardest to make from scratch, and would have probably made it in advance if we changed anything,” Anthony Midence (12) said.
How did they decide to create that? It was based on an Italian theme, which they wanted to incorporate in their graphics. The owners of 2 Cart Mario learned a lot from this experience as well as their pathway. Their aim was to produce a favorite amongst a wide group of people.
“Time was the hardest challenge to battle, and we learned to manage time better,” Bensen Defazio (12) said.
They have learned teamwork and more from advertising as they worked with the graphics class for their graphics. The colors are crucial in advertising, making sure the correct italian colors are used to represent what this food truck is.
“Two of our members are part Italian, giving us inspiration for the theme, as for the name it was inspired by Nintendo’s game Mario Kart,” said Kalob Humphrey (12).