In a new paddock-to-plate program, students from Boonah State High School, Qld, are building equipment for farm animals, growing food, preparing it and serving it.
Story Ken Eastwood Photo Cass/Incmil Photography
The inaugural Paddock to Plate dinner was held at Boonah State High School in August this year, capping off a cross-collaboration between the school’s agricultural students and those in hospitality, industrial technology and IT. Sixty-four people from industries that have partnered with the school in employment pathways programs were given a delicious meal that was grown in the paddocks by students and then prepared by hospitality students under the supervision of former student, chef Elliot Platz.
Cattle Club student Bella Jaret, in year 10, says the Paddock to Plate program gave the students the opportunity to understand the whole food chain process, “from feed trials with the steer, through to processing at Kalbar Butcher Co to ensure that the hospitality students received the correct cuts of meat. We were able to meet and liaise with key business stakeholders and build relationships for future pathways.”
There are 650 students at the high school, and 100 are involved in the employment pathways program, which provides real-world experience for students. Many former students are partners in the program.
This story excerpt is from Issue #152
Outback Magazine: Dec/Jan 2024
