Student Greenhouses Prompt Thorne Bay Restaurant Purchase

A students works in the Thorne Bay greenhouse. (Courtesy Megan Fitzpatrick)

There are no restaurants in the 500-person town of Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island. But that looks like its going to change. The Southeast Island School District, which serves Thorne Bay and several other rural schools, is buying a vacant restaurant from the city. Theyre going to use food from school greenhouses and a bakery to provide fresh meals for residents and business experience for students.

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The Southeast Island School District, which serves Thorne Bay and several other rural schools, is buying a vacant restaurant from the city. Theyre going to use food from school greenhouses and a bakery to provide fresh meals for residents and business experience for students.

It will be called the Thorne Bay Caf.

The Southeast Island School District hired Susan Powell, a restaurant manager from Oregon, to take charge of the caf. She listed some of the entree possibilities:

Carnitas tacos, cause we have the great tortillas from Coffman Cove. Maybe a taco salad, you know, some Mexican things. A barbeque pork sandwich. A Philly cheese steak or chicken cheese steak. A couple different kinds of soup every day cause were going into winter

Shes still working on the menu. But she plans to use produce from four school greenhouses. And shell get bread and tortillas from a small bakery run by the Coffman Cove school.

I think the main goal is to support the schools and promote their products and to have student involvement, Powell said.

Megan Fitzpatrick is Thorne Bays 7ththrough 12thgrade teacher. She said this restaurant is one more fruit to spring from the labor and success of the student-run greenhouse. The school district starting operating the hydroponic greenhouse in Thorne Bay in February.

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Student Greenhouses Prompt Thorne Bay Restaurant Purchase