Haunted Cafe Tests Students' Culinary Skills

Finding a worm in your ice cube in your glass of punch and an eyeball on your dessert plate would usually be frightful, but Thursday it was delightful as part of the Haunted Cafe, presented by Sebring High School's Culinary I students.

The "magic potion," or lime and Sprite punch, featured a gummy worm in the ice cube and the eyeball, which accompanied the caramel apple bites with chopped pecans, was actually a peanut butter ball covered with white chocolate.

According to the Haunted Cafe's invitation, the students "dug up" the menu themselves featuring a "grueling" main dish combo ... .

With an eerily dark setting for the diners, cafe chef Clinton Hawkins prepared food with light from a torchiere lamp.

The senior, who wants to be chef, plans to continue his education at South Florida Community College.

Cooking up beef and chicken shish-ka-bobs, lasagna and corn, Hawkins said cutting the onions was the toughest part.

"It's making my eyes tear," he said.

About 20 students in Patricia Hollenberg's sixth-period Culinary I class studied and prepared for the themed cafe meal presentation.

"A lot of these are beginners; I've not had them before," Hollenberg said. "So we are starting from scratch; we are doing real good."

The students started decorating the serving area in the classroom about two weeks ago and then worked on dishes that could be frozen ahead of time, she said.

From time to time the students looked to Hollenberg for direction as they served about 50 meals.

"Look and see what they ordered for dessert and get it to them," she directed one student.

When they ran out of salad, Hollenberg spurred the available food preparers into action.

Dining guest Dan Stroup said he tried a little bit of everything with his favorite being the caramel apple bites.

"It was very good," he said. "The lasagna was excellent; the shis-ka-bob was excellent; the brownie was excellent.

"It was a very enjoyable experience and I'm looking forward to doing it again."

Another departing diner said he couldn't see his food, but he enjoyed it.