Test students on their ability to provide a balanced meal. For certain events, a menu consisting of burgers, hot dogs and pizza is appropriate. But most of the time, more well-rounded food is in order. Have students design their sample menus using the standard four-item model of an entrée, a side, a vegetable and a dessert. For example: pork chops, red potatoes, green beans and parfaits; or chili, cornbread, fresh garden salad and chocolate mousse.
Ensure that menus consider visual appeal and have a variety of textures. For example, baked chicken, rice, cauliflower and custard is a balanced meal, but it's also colorless and rather visually boring. A menu that mixes it up a bit would be oven-fried chicken, herbed rice, broccoli and strawberry custard. And don't forget texture. Pork cutlets, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and fudge brownies is a colorful menu, but all the food is of a creamy, velvety variety. Add crunchy elements: pan-seared pork cutlets, corn-and-tomato salad, crispy potatoes wedges and walnut brownies.
Make sure students' menus are appropriate for the event. Upscale, elegant fare is a good idea for occasions such as a wedding, professional dinner party or formal banquet, foods such as braised lamb, polenta, grilled ramps and nectarine-berry cobbler. In contrast, for more informal events, such as a family reunion, book club meeting or backyard supper, a more casual menu is fitting. Consider shrimp kebobs, veggie kebabs, potato salad and mini-cheesecakes.
Let students practice tailoring menus to follow dietary restrictions. Some clients may have special needs, such as low-fat or low-carbohydrates, vegetarian or vegan and kosher foods. Or for medical reasons, they may be unable to eat dairy, sugar, salt, gluten or other foods. A low-carbohydrate menu would consist of turkey cheeseburgers without buns, sesame noodles, green beans and sugar-free strawberry-orange jello. A menu that could be tailored to fit vegans or vegetarians might contain vegetable lasagna, garlic bread, garden salad and rice pudding.