Hospitality students at Carinity Education Southside got to showcase their culinary skills at a pop-up restaurant held on the school's campus last week.
Parents of students, school supporters, current and former staff, and Carinity and Queensland Baptists representatives gathered to share a tasty, themed dining experience.
The Sunnybank school's annual restaurant day is a practical component of the Certificate course in Hospitality which is undertaken by Year 11 and 12 students.
Senior student Riley conceived the concept for the country-themed restaurant, which was called 'Wild West Café' and was chosen following a vote by fellow hospitality students.
Riley said the theme for the restaurant, which was decorated with country and western artwork and artefacts, was inspired by her visits to Roma in western Queensland.
"I go out to country every Christmas because I've got family out there. I also go to rodeos, so I wanted to do the country theme as it's something that I like," Riley said.
"It made me feel really good that my theme was chosen, and that the day was really successful."
The restaurant menu featured entrées, main meals and desserts including dishes such as chuckwagon beef brisket, southern belle baked chicken, prairie pan cornbread, six-shooter chili stew, and cowgirl cobbler.
"Most of the menu was created from my ideas. A lot of the stuff we make at home like the chili, the cornbread, the cobbler, and mac and cheese," Riley said.
Meals and drinks, including options such as the cowboy cooler, buckaroo brew and wild west sunrise, were created by Year 11 students in the school's commercial-grade kitchen.
The Year 12 hospitality students waited on guests, which included representatives of local community service groups and not-for-profit organisations.
"Last year I was in back-of-house, doing food preparation, and this year I was front-of-house which I enjoy more because it's a lot more hands-on and I enjoy being with the customers," Riley said.
Carinity Education Southside Principal, Leann Faint, said the luncheon was a "fine day of food, fun and a touch of frontier flair".
Previous iterations of the school's pop-up restaurant have included a 1950s-style diner called 'Happy Days' and an eatery called 'The Pumpkin Patch' which featured a vegetarian menu.
