LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Exercise and extravagant dinners don't normally go hand in hand, but Thomas Simpson School is about to try something new.
On May 11, the school will be holding a four-course dinner to fundraise money for the school's exercise room. The dinner is the brainchild of Michel Benoit, a cooking, shop and math teacher at the school.
"I would love people to come and enjoy it," Benoit said.
People who attend the dinner can expect a dining experience straight out of a five-star restaurant. Tables draped in white tablecloths will be topped with fancy table settings including multiple pieces of silverware bordering the plates.
Proper techniques
Guests will be served by students who have learned the proper techniques for serving food. The meal will start with a blueberry soup and move to an insalata caprese before plateauing with a generous slice of prime rib garnished with caramelized onions and accompanied by roasted potatoes and pan roasted mixed vegetables.
The finishing touch will be strawberry crepes with whipped cream and chocolate.
"It will be tasty," Benoit said.
The dinner is unlike any fundraiser the school has undertaken before and unlike any other dining experience available in the village, he said.
"We just want to try it and see what happens," said Benoit.
"It's a different experience."
The proceeds from the dinner and the silent auction that will accompany it will go towards the school's exercise room. The room is popular and used daily by students, said principal Freda Blyth.
After approximately five years of use, the equipment in the room, including exercise bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills, is in need of maintenance and repair, she said. The funds raised will be used to bring a specialized maintenance person to the school to work on the equipment. If the fundraiser is a success, some of the equipment which is beyond repair will be replaced with new commercial-grade pieces.
Most of the school's fundraisers are for trips or events, so focusing on a specific facility is something different, said Blyth.
"It will be a unique event," she said.
Tickets for the dinner will go on sale at the school and other locations around the village on April 26. All tickets must be purchased in advance.
Benoit and students from his cooking classes along with other student volunteers will be preparing, cooking and plating the food.
"It's going to be fun," he said.
Benoit said the Northern store in Fort Simpson has committed to supporting the dinner by lowering the price of the ingredients for the meal.
If the dinner is a success, Benoit plans to hold similar events with different menus during the next school year to raise money for other aspects of the school.
