WESLACO — Culinary arts students stood in their kitchen apparel and clapped as their classmate Hailey Luna was announced as the lead barista at the newly established Young Chefs Cafe in Weslaco. The gesture moved the teenage barista to tears Wednesday afternoon in a moment that affectionately christened the cozy cafe’s opening.
With teary eyes and a smile on her face, Luna, a 17-year-old Weslaco High School senior, accepted her chef’s coat identifying her as being in charge.
“It was emotional,” Luna said while attempting to contain her excitement.
This joyful scene was one of the memorable moments here at the Mayor Joe V. Sánchez Public Library in Weslaco. The city in partnership with the Weslaco Independent School District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for its first official cafe operated by the students in the Weslaco school district Culinary Arts Program.
According to program instructor Melba Tijerina, the project had been in the works for four years but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Each of the students who staff the cafe are enrolled in the Advanced Culinary Arts and Practicum in Culinary Arts courses. This cafe will not only help the students gain work experience but they will also obtain a food handler certificate.
“It doesn’t only build life skills but it’s building work experience,” Tijeriana said, adding that this will help ease the transition for students from school to the work industry. “This is a training site for our students.”
Tijerina explained that she saw the library as the perfect spot for the student-run cafe because “the ambiance was very good,” giving the cafe a warm and welcoming feeling — a nook if you will.
But what’s on the menu?
“We’ve got a latte a la Mexicana, a macchiato a la Mexicana, a mocha a la Mexicana and a frappé a la Mexicana,” Tijerina said with excitement. “Any of those is a very popular beverage, that signature dish of that Mexican chocolate that was added to it makes it a favorite among the patrons.”
The revenue made at the cafe goes back into the culinary arts program, according to Tijerina.
“It’s for us to be able to purchase all of the supplies that are needed so that we can continue to run it (the cafe),” Tijerina said.
I saw Chef Bazan pull out a chef coat that had my name written on it and it was pretty emotional.
For Luna, this allows her and her classmates the opportunity to work collaboratively to maintain and run the cafe.
Although she was already excited about the cafe’s opening she was left in shock when her instructors surprised her by making her the cafe’s lead barista.
“I saw Chef Bazan pull out a chef coat that had my name written on it and it was pretty emotional,” Luna said with a smile on her face as she explained how surprised she was by the news.
She explained that her favorite items to make are the Mocha a la Mexicana frappé and the Neapolitan frappé.
One can try drinks such as the mocha frappe and other tasty treats at the library, which is located at 525 S. Kansas Ave. in Weslaco. Luna and her fellow classmates will be running the cafe Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Weslaco unveils first student-run cafe in public library
