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14 March 2023

Student-led cafes expand services and reduce food waste

Professional Cookery students are putting their training to use on campus as they prepare affordable breakfasts, lunches and home bakes at the Mezz and Hub cafés.

Since September 2022, students have run the Mezz Café at Milton Road Campus – offering soup for £1 or whatever a student can afford to pay. Other products on sale include handmade sandwiches, and savoury and sweet baked goods.

The beginning of semester two saw the launch of the Hub Café at Granton Campus which houses a deli-style sandwich bar offering sub rolls and salad pots with a variety of fillings, as well as soup and other hot foods. Breakfast rolls, and hot and cold drinks are also available.

The Mezz and Hub cafés are stocked with food created by Professional Cookery students as part of their core learning. The produce used to make the dishes comes from local veg suppliers and often includes veg that would otherwise be wasted – instead it is turned into soup, preventing food waste and promoting maximum use of ingredients.

 

Mezz Café at Milton Road Campus
 
The Mezz Café at Milton Road Campus is now open an additional day and has extended its offer to include breakfast rolls and homemade sandwiches.

The Mezz Café is now open from 10am until 1.30pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and offers soup, sandwiches and savoury and sweet baked products. Breakfast rolls will be available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Mezz Café is located within the Club building at Milton Road Campus.
 

Hub Café at Granton Campus
 
Our Professional Cookery and Hospitality team has also opened up the Hub Café which is located within the Hub at Granton Campus and will offer a variety of breakfast and lunch options. The Hub Café is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am until 1.30pm.

We have been blown away by the success of both the Mezz and Hub cafés so far. The interest and support from students and staff has been fantastic. The cafés give our students an enhanced learning experience as they are taking in multiple elements of a Hospitality business including: preparing, cooking and storing meals; sales and point of sale; stock rotation, and Sustainability in terms of minimising food waste and using compostable containers and cutlery. All of this boosts their skillset and maximises their employability. In the process, we are providing an affordable lunch for students during the cost of living crisis, as well as actively helping the College to reduce waste by having a continuous outlet for food prepared as part of our daily teaching being sold to students and staff.
Steph Tanner, Head of School for Professional Cookery