Mrs. Hilliard’s Culinary Arts students participated in a virtual meeting yesterday with Stephen Robertson, an employee of Blanchard’s Coffee in Richmond, VA. Her students are creating a new school-based enterprise to provide coffee and biscotti to faculty and staff in the mornings. They wanted to get an inside look at how to provide this service to customers.
This school-based enterprise is a work-based learning opportunity that will allow all of her Culinary students to run a business and learn the industry by providing services to faculty.
Mr. Robertson has been with Blanchard's coffee for approximately 20 years. Blanchard’s purchases directly from farmers in South America, in order to support the farmers, not the middlemen. He spoke to the students about the roasting process, about how to make a good cup of coffee and gave additional advice for our coffee shop on lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, etc.