This Saturday, September 11, students from Moraine Park’s Culinary Arts program will participate in downtown Fond du Lac’s 14th annual Fondue Fest!
Throughout the week, 10 students in MPTC’s Culinary Arts program have been hard at work preparing 2,600 icebox cookies and over 300 loaves of bread to be served with about 3,000 portions of fresh fondue. The cheese fondue is made with 90lbs of mozzarella cheese mix, donated by Grande Cheese, and mixed with cheddar and other cheeses. The chocolate fondue is a ganache made with chocolate, cream and butter. In total, the students will clock in over 150 hours of volunteer work for the event.
“Being a part of Fondue Fest allows students to interact with the community and gives them a taste for working in a fast-paced environment,” Tom Endejan, MPTC Culinary Arts Instructor, said. “The students learn a lot and have to face unique challenges that they aren’t exposed to in the classroom.”
Fondue Fest is Fond du Lac’s largest downtown event with an attendance of more than 20,000 people annually. The fest features live music, unique vendors and delicious food.
Moraine Park’s Culinary Arts Club has been participating in Fondue Fest for 10 years. Proceeds from the Fondue sales go directly towards the culinary club and are utilized for continued learning at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May 2022. At the conference students are able to learn about different cuisines, visit various ethnic areas in Chicago and learn about new practices in the industry.
“I’m excited to get this extra experience outside of the classroom,” said Grace Westphal, Culinary Arts student. “The production takes a bit of time, but it’s worth it to help get us to the conference in Chicago at the end of the school year.”
Fondue Fest is Saturday, September 11, from 9-5 p.m. in downtown Fond du Lac. Show up to support MPTC students, eat fondue and have fun!
MPTC Culinary Student Volunteers:
- Grace Westphal – Luxemburg, WI
- Aiden Cole – Fond du Lac, WI
- Andrew Hoepfner – Fond du Lac, WI
- Destiny Smith – West Bend, WI
- Dan Hartsougl – Fond du Lac, WI
- Jonah Riley – Fond du Lac, WI
- Damon “Matt” Matthews – Waupun, WI
- Brendan Schraufnagel – Lomira, WI
- Brianna Eberhardt – Adell, WI
- Jordan Lambert – Green Bay, WI