FCS 384 ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Theme Meal PURPOSE: Students will develop skills for planning, preparing, and serving a lunch menu that complies with menu planning and budget guidelines, and provides their customers a pleasurable eating experience. POINTS: 100 PROCEDURE: 1) Students will work in teams of 3 – 4 to develop a “unique occasion” theme for the meal. A “unique occasion” does not include holidays, or usually celebrated events such as birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and retirement parties. Sports themes and ethnic themes are generally discouraged and only approved if there is evidence that the theme will be implemented in a unique way. Complete the Menu Theme Worksheet and submit for approval (Due September 22). 2) Teams will plan a lunch menu to serve to the class on their assigned day. Additional guests including FCS and CALS faculty and directors will be invited to the meal as well. Teams should plan for a total of 20 people for their meal (including themselves). 3) Budget - Food costs must total $100.00 ($5.00 per person) or under and decoration costs must total $25.00 or under. a. Staple ingredients such as flour, sugar, oil, salt and some spices will be provided as requested. Costs of these items should be included in the total food cost based on how much is used. The entire cost of purchased ingredients for non-staple items should be calculated in the total food cost. You may use items from home (spices) that are already purchased but they still need to be included in your budget report. b. Students are responsible for purchasing their own decorations and dividing the expenses among the team members. Students are encouraged to be as resourceful and creative as possible in planning themes and decorations. c. Submit the Recipe Costing Forms and Budget Report Form along with copies of all receipts in your final notebook. 4) Develop your menu using the following criteria: a. Menu should include a minimum of a 3 component main course (soup, salad, and breadstick; entrée, vegetable, and side; salad buffet, etc.), 1 dessert and 1 non-alcoholic beverage. b. Consider demographics, sociocultural influences, nutrition requirements, food trends, preferences and special needs of your customers. i. The class will be asked to provide special needs or preferences. At a minimum, one vegetarian option will need to be planned. Note: The foods lab is a nut free area. Please do not include nuts in your meal.c. Consider menu characteristics such as variety of color, texture, shapes, preparation methods and food groups. d. Include decorative garnishes and condiments. e. Menu items should coordinate with your theme. Use descriptive and creative wording for your menu. f. Submit your menu for approval (Due September 29). g. Print your final menu on decorative paper that matches your theme. Decorative menus can be used as part of your table decoration. At least one menu should be on display during your meal. 5) Locate recipes for your menu items. a. Recipes may be from a variety of sources including cookbooks, internet, family, or textbooks. b. Submit your recipes with sources referenced for approval (Due September 29). c. After recipes are approved, final recipes should be typed in a standardized format and submitted in the final notebook. d. Complete the Recipe Costing Form for each recipe. Adjust recipes/menu as needed to stay within the budget guidelines. Submit the Recipe Costing Forms with your final notebook. 6) Develop a purchase order for your menu. a. Foods will be purchased for you by the instructor. b. Using the Purchase Order form list all food specifications for menu items needed. Food items must be available at Rosauers if you want the instructor to purchase them for you. i. If foods from a different store are desired, students will be expected to purchase the food and will be reimbursed for the cost. c. Include the cost of food items, quantity needed, and total cost on the purchase order. i. Total cost should not exceed $100.00 d. Review the purchase order with the instructor and submit for approval at least one week before your scheduled theme meal. e. Be sure to specify the date you want the food items available. Only one purchasing trip will be made per theme meal. f. You may arrange to have one team member go on the purchasing trip to insure correct food items are purchased. 7) Plan your style of service including: a. Table arrangement – You may choose how the foods lab tables will be arranged. Tables can seat 4-6 per table. You should plan for a minimum of four tables. b. Table setting – The decorations for your table setting should include a table cloth, napkins, and a centerpiece. Place mats, napkin rings and other decorative items are encouraged. Appropriate set-up is expected for the table setting. Refer to FFF as a guide. c. Dishware and Cutlery – Plastic plates, cups, and utensils will be provided upon request. Items in the foods lab may be used with permission. Teams have the option of providing their own dishware and cutlery to match the theme if desired.8) Plan the service and presentation for your theme meal. a. On the day of your theme meal, your team will present and serve the meal to the class. Your presentation should introduce the team members, explain the theme, describe each of the menu items being served, explain culinary techniques used in menu preparation, and incorporate service of the items. Display cooking for final preparation may also be used. b. Each team member should participate in presenting the meal. c. Creativity should be evident in the presentation. d. Team members have the option of dressing for the theme. e. The presentation portion should be a total of 8-10 minutes in length, but the presentation time can be interspersed between service and dining times. 9) Prepare your meal. Meals will be prepared and served in the foods lab. Some preparation may occur in alternate locations. a. Preparation time: The foods lab is reserved from 3:00-6:00pm the day before your scheduled meal and from 7:30-4:00 the day of the theme meal. Preparation and clean-up should be scheduled around other class times. b. Prepared food items should be labeled with your name and the course number, and stored in the back foods lab refrigerator. Do not store items in the Child Development Lab refrigerator. c. Guests will be invited to arrive