For Marcus Ek Edenhagen, it all began with a passion for food. Now he stands in the middle of a kitchen where ideas become reality and dreams turn into future careers. Restaurant Viljan is the place where the next generation of chefs and service professionals take their first steps.
Marcus moves confidently between pots, refrigerators, and work benches. One day a week, he and his classmates practice in the school restaurant Viljan. Here, three-course lunches and dinners are served with table service, Tuesday through Thursday. The students create the menu themselves.
Kitchen teachers are close at hand to show and guide. Now it’s getting close to lunch time. Guests are starting to drop in and the temperature in the kitchen rises a few extra degrees. It’s time to deliver. – This is for real, says Marcus. When I think I can’t handle something, the teacher encourages me and says: You can do it! And then I always manage.
EDUCATION THAT LEADS TO JOBS
The Restaurant and Food Program trains future chefs and service staff. The program is three years long and there are 16 spots in each grade. The education provides basic university eligibility and graduation leads to jobs, in an industry that is literally crying out for workers. Many students get employment already during their studies. Marcus has just started his second year, after an intensive summer with two part-time jobs, at a café and restaurant.
– I’ve always enjoyed cooking and was inspired to apply for the program by my sister, who went here before me. She told me about a really good school with great community spirit and it’s absolutely true. We have an amazing time and become close to each other, both teachers and students, he says.
From the second year, students have the opportunity to make individual choices. Marcus specializes in bakery and cooking. – This is an education that opens up possibilities. I can grow in the industry or choose to move on to other professional areas. The experiences from Viljan mean I can get jobs in hotels and restaurants, whatever happens. I see a bright future ahead.
BACK AT SCHOOL
The time at Björknäs High School and school restaurant Viljan leaves its mark on the students. Many come back to visit and meet their former teachers. Some return to teach in the program themselves.
Terese Lindström and Elin Dahlqvist studied the program at the same time, Felicia Fagerström a couple of years later. After respective careers in Sweden and abroad, all three are back at the school, Felicia as a kitchen teacher and Terese and Elin as service teachers.
– When I lived in Norway, I participated in a report about foreign workers in the restaurant industry. I was asked where I saw myself in a few years. Teacher in service, was my answer. And now I work here, for eight years now, Elin tells us.
The dream of teaching was also awakened in her two colleagues during their high school studies. Felicia is passionate about pushing and giving confidence to her students. For Terese, it’s about being able to give back all that she herself received during her education. – Our vocational teachers were absolutely fantastic. As important as they were to me, I wanted to be for someone else, she says. The three vocational teachers find it hard to imagine the education without the school restaurant. – Viljan gives nerve to the entire education.
Here students learn to meet all types of guests, handle situations that arise, and put theories into practice. The restaurant is an indispensable preparation for working life, says Felicia.
A SCHOOL FOR LIFE
A stone’s throw from Björknäs High School lies restaurant Norrigården. Here, former student Johannes Winroth is the newly appointed owner. He remembers his high school years with warmth and describes the program as much more than just vocational training. – We students were seen and heard, as people and individuals. At the school restaurant, we got to take great responsibility early on, in a safe environment. I learned hospitality and an approach to fellow human beings that laid the foundation for my entire professional life and how I am toward others. It was a fantastic school for life, simply put, he says.
Johannes emphasizes the value that the education and restaurant Viljan have for Boden. – The program is an enormous asset for our entire tourism industry. It provides renewal of driven entrepreneurs with local roots, commitment, and the will to develop the municipality. Such things are hard to import from outside.
LOCAL CHARACTER
The education in Boden places great emphasis on practical training and has exchanges with restaurant schools in both France and Norway. In the school restaurant, locally produced ingredients are used as much as possible. The school also has a collaboration with a local grocery store to help reduce food waste.
Kenneth Vinblad von Walter is a trained chef and head teacher in cooking. He would like to dispel some prejudices about the Restaurant and Food Program.
– Many think that young people get stuck in the profession and that wages are low, he says. But that’s no longer true. The education is broad and gives everyone opportunities to continue studying. Our students graduate to an exciting job market in strong positive development. Not least here in Boden.
TEXT: ANNA ALMQVIST
