Friday, July 3, 2015

Summer Camp X Rounds Out a Great Season


Summer Camp X just finished up a great summer season at Ashe Charter School! Our FirstLine Students participated in a wide variety of activities; from biking, to graphic design, to dance, to running, to yoga, and even running a restaurant!

Besides being a great way to spend time during the summer, all of our classes at Summer Camp X aim to foster our students' mind, body, and spirit. Whether they are learning to set goals, or learning the skills necessary to run a restaurant, they are spending their school break in a constructive and valuable way.

For more info on Summer Camp X, click HERE. We hope to see your FirstLine student there next summer!


Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Restaurant Impossible at Summer Camp X

Restaurant Impossible, just one of the many courses at Summer Camp X, celebrated their final days of camp by opening a student-designed, built, and run restaurant! Only open for two days during lunch, Restaurant Impossible was a show stopper.

One of our kind patrons gave us five stars and wrote the below review:
I will admit, I was skeptical, as I've experienced mixed results eating lunch in school cafeterias in the past. However, Restaurant Impossible blew away its cafeteria competitors.
My party was seated by two polite and undoubtedly-brilliant hostesses, and we each promptly received a bowl of seasoned popcorn and a cold glass of ice water from our waiter, Danté. The popcorn was delicious, and every person in my party of four ate every kernel. Danté (rising 7th grader) and Caitlyn (rising 2nd-grader) took care of all of us throughout the meal, promptly refilling our water glasses with some of the finest and freshest water offered in New Orleans. An impeccably-dressed manager in a salmon-colored shirt and khaki vest (with matching square) roamed the floor, ensuring that all guests were satisfied.
The food came out shortly after we ordered. The chicken tenders were just that--tender. The breading was perfectly crunchy, giving me the satisfaction of fried food without the grease. The mac-n-cheese portions were Cheesecake Factorian, and the presentation was OnPoint.com.
One of my colleagues ordered the veggie tacos, which included a healthy scoop of guacamole and locally-sourced eggplant. Both the tacos and the guac looked outstanding--take notes, all other purveyors of Mexican food in New Orleans.
Another colleague of mine ordered the chicken wings and mozzarella sticks. This colleague exists on a diet that is at least 75% chicken wings, so she has a very discerning palette when it comes to fried bird arms. Well, guess what? The chefs at Restaurant Impossible knocked her socks off, and she refused to share. The mozzarella sticks she did share was one of the most delightful fried cheese experiences you could ever hope to have.
My final colleague was in a rush, so she only ordered the chips and homemade grape-tomato salsa. (You read that right.) Guess what? The innovators at Restaurant Impossible knocked this one out of the park, too, and left me wondering how a team of middle- and elementary-schoolers can be more creative in the kitchen than a 30 year-old who once received an A in his 'Making Meals for Others' class in 8th grade. Absolument magnifique.
My only regrets for the meal were that A) I didn't try the smoothies, and B) I didn't pay the $5 extra to sit in the VIP room. (I tried. My colleagues were skeptical, and soon regretted not purchasing the status.) All in all, I give Restaurant Impossible a 100/100.

If you weren't able to make it to Restaurant Impossible, we have some pictures to ease the pain.