Worcester Technical High School’s Culinary and Pastry Arts Department will officially open its teaching café at the TidalHealth Ocean Pines Campus Monday.
Worcester Technical High School’s new café, pictured, inside the Ocean Pines TidalHealth Campus will open to the public next week.
Submitted photo
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
Worcester Technical High School’s Culinary and Pastry Arts Department will officially open its teaching café at the TidalHealth Ocean Pines Campus on Monday. The café will offer baked goods, sandwiches, soups, and salads prepared by WTHS students to patients, staff, and OPA residents.
The Pines Café is located between the main lobby and the pharmacy in building number one of the Ocean Pines TidalHealth Campus, near the community’s North Gate Entrance.
The food site is an interactive project created by Phil Cropper, the culinary and pastry arts program’s head chef, to offer students real-life experience running a retail food business. The location will officially welcome customers starting Monday, September 9 at 9 a.m.
Cropper said he has been working on the space since June, updating the wallpaper retail area, installing new equipment, and stocking it with cookbooks and necessary culinary items in preparation for the grand opening.
One student, a senior in the cooking program, will be on-site during the café’s hours of operation, typically 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, to service patrons. The young learner will also be joined by two part-time managers who will act as mentors and daily overseers at the location.
The Pines Cafe, pictured, will open next week in the Ocean Pines TidalHealth Campus.
Submitted photo
The remaining students in the culinary and pastry program will work within WTHS to prepare the menu items.
“The school will act as a commissary, in a way,” Cropper said.
The director hopes that his students will gain knowledge in entrepreneurship through the program, as well as proper knife skills, cooking techniques, menu development, basic bookkeeping, customer support, food safety and sanitation, culinary math, inventory management, leadership, and adaptability. The café is meant to provide juvenile chefs with real-world experience.
“WCPS has work-based learning opportunities …, and The Pines Cafe is just another example of our commitment to growing our local workforce and meeting community needs,” Worcester County Public School Career and Technology Education Coordinator Brian Phillips said in June.
Cropper curated the menu in collaboration with his 2023-2024 students. It includes turkey and provolone sandwiches, avocado toast, BLTs, paninis, coffee, tea, pastries, and more.
The chef said that the items may be adjusted and tweaked as he and his students receive feedback.
The café will operate similarly to Panera Bread. Customers will order their food and beverages and receive them at a pick-up window. There will also be a grab-and-go area for pre-made meals.
Patrons will be able to order online at thepinescafe.com and choose their pickup time from a list of 15-minute increments.
“This is great for people working in the Ocean Pines area to come in, grab their lunch, then head back to work,” Cropper said.
Additionally, the space has 12 seats available for individuals who wish to enjoy their meal in the café.
After the overhead costs, all profits will be put back into WTHS’s culinary program.
“We are excited to open,” Cropper said. “It has been a dream since December last year, and now it is the start of the school year. We are ready to welcome customers through our doors.”