KIDS will be the chefs tonight at Watson restaurant, Joey’s Kitchen, as part of a special pilot cooking program for students at Majura Primary School.

The school, well-known for its gardening program was last year made part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.

It was this program which inspired local restaurateur Joey Cuarana to approach the school’s principal Coralie McAlister with a unique idea to introduce kids to the world of culinary cuisine.

“When [my wife] Louiza and I first started our business, being part of the community was always important,” he said.

He said he had seen Majura’s “fantastic” gardening program and thought it was the perfect way to get involved with the community.

“Majura kids in Joey’s Kitchen”, has seen 27 Year 5 and 6 students, write their CVs, “apply” for jobs in the restaurant – from front of house through to dessert chef, design the menu, create recipes, prepare food, cook, plate-up and of course serve the three-course meal to 50 family and friends.

Joey said a lot of the food being cooked tonight was produce from primary school’s garden.

Principal Coralie McAlister said Majura kids in Joey’s Kitchen was a “real-life opportunity” for her students.

“They are all beside themselves with excitement for tonight,” she said. “We were really clear with what we were looking for in this program.

“The children need to demonstrate a knowledge of food, including techniques such as food preparation. We want them to hold their own in a real life situation with confidence.

“And want them working well as a team.”

She said they would be asking parents and friends attending the dinner tonight for “immediate feedback” on how the students fair.

Joey remains hopeful that the program will be a success and tonight is the first of many.

“We’d love to do it again, this is only a pilot program but we hope to hold one four times a year,” he said.