PARKERSBURG - A group of Wood County Technical Center ProStart culinary students will help prepare and serve meals this weekend on a historical train ride through West Virginia.
ProStart educator Barbara Boardman said five area students were selected to participate in one of four day trips on a New River Train Excursions tour, which travels roundtrip from Huntington to Hinton, W.Va. The event is organized through the West Virginia chapter of the American Culinary Federation, which annually caters the train rides.
The participating students are Warren Bickers, Tristram Spitsnaugle, Alexus McCune, Lauren Parsons and Brittan Posey.
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Photo by Michael Erb
Five students with the Wood County Technical Center ProStart culinary program will be serving meals and waiting tables this weekend during a historical train ride through West Virginia. Those participating in the program will be, from left, Brittan Posey, Tristram Spitsnaugle, Alexus McCune, Lauren Parsons and instructor Barbara Boardman. Student Warren Bickers also will participate.
Boardman said she and the students will leave Saturday for Huntington and the trip begins at 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
The students will have the chance to work with professional chefs preparing meals for passengers. The students also will serve meals and wait tables, Boardman said.
This is the first year the ProStart program will be involved in the catering process. Boardman said dozens of students from throughout the state will be part of the catering this weekend and next.
"It's a learning process for everyone," she said.
Spitsnaugle, a junior at Parkersburg High School, said he was excited for the opportunity.
"It's going to be a great experience," he said. "Getting to see parts of West Virginia, getting to work alongside a chef. It's going to give us a taste of working in the food service industry."
"It's going to be exciting," said McCune, a junior at Parkersburg South High School. McCune said she was especially interested in the food preparation aspect of Sunday's trip.
"I want to learn how to work in the restaurant business, because that is what I want to do in life," she said.
Boardman said while the event will be a learning experience, it also will be challenging.
"They said to expect a 15-hour day," she said.
"It'll be fun," Spitsnaugle said.
