Bistro ready to serve

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This article was published 18/09/2017 (3134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Louis Riel School Division’s Bistro in the Park restaurant opens on Sept. 20.

Many people already know this. Word about this little culinary gem gets around quickly.

A stone’s throw from Windsor Park Collegiate at 1079 Autumnwood Dr., the full service eatery has been a popular dining spot for students, teachers and the local community for many years.

The restaurant took a short hiatus last year to rethink its concept and reopened in February with a new staff, some kitchen renovations, and a diverse, fresh menu.

New popular offerings include barbecue pulled pork, reuben, and clubhouse sandwiches; along with chicken quesadillas, patty melts and Philly cheese steaks. They’ve also added vegetarian dishes and gluten-free items.

This iteration of the Bistro is under the watchful eye of director Michael Erin, a 20-year red seal chef, who spent the last 14 years as a culinary arts teacher and co-chef at the Louis Riel Arts and Tech Centre.

The teaching team also includes Rob Ferens, red seal chef with A.T.C. experience and Heather Deibert, promotions and event co-ordinator with a human ecology degree.

The serving staff is comprised entirely of high school students, some completing course programming requirements, others volunteering to gain work skills and résumé-quality work experiences.

Chef Erin invites any LRSD high school student “who wants real life work experience to build work skills for future work opportunities.”

“Our team has worked with high school students for many years and can emphasize with their needs,” Chef Erin says, who has also completed a post-baccalaureate in education.

The space offers seating for 45 lunch guests and includes a beautiful stone fireplace and student-generated art works on the walls. Windsor Park Collegiate (WPC) musicians play live acoustic guitar on Wednesdays to add a little ambiance to lunch.

These kids don’t simply serve. They host, prep food, work on the line or wash dishes within a technical food curriculum with real customers.

WPC principal Nicholas Kelly believes “it’s important to provide opportunities for students to work in a real life setting.”

Assistant superintendent Irene Nordheim sees the Bistro as another important piece of LRSD’s career education mandate,” a place for students to build confidence, skills, and a potential career path.”

The Bistro is open to the public for lunch on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

From Monday to Friday, larger groups of up to 50 can hold workshops, parties or staff meetings in the dining room which is equipped with a screen, projector, and a Bose sound system.

 
Chef Erin is developing a line of Bistro frozen food products such as soup and lasagna that people can pick up and take home. The diner also caters to outside groups.

The Bistro does not take reservations; groups of five to six should call ahead to ensure that space is available.

For more information, contact the Bistro in the Park at 204-253-3885.

Adriano Magnifico is a community correspondent for St. Boniface. You can contact him at amagnif@mymts.net