Miguel Orozco, ‘24, Evelyn Tapia, ‘25, and Melissa DeJesus, ‘24, pose together within South Salem High School’s culinary kitchen. Photo taken by Brennea Atchley
Meet the Masters Behind Herencia On The Go
On March 18, 2024, South Salem High school’s culinary management team will be competing at ProStart’s state competition at the Salem Convention Center.
For the management competition, teams are required to make a new restaurant concept and present it to the judges. South’s management team, Miguel Orozco, ‘24, Evelyn Tapia, ‘25, and Melissa DeJesus, ‘24, are creating an authentic Mexican food truck named Herencia On The Go (Herenica). With this concept, they have to make a floor plan, menu, management system, advertising techniques and draw out financial plans.
Cultivating a Representation of Cultural Work
Herencia is an authentic Mexican food truck with the goal to spread the team’s Mexican culture and connect with the customers who buy from them. Their menu consists of 12 dishes including cuisine like enchilada rojas, churros and esquites. When the team was making their menu, they had to create the recipe using exact measurements and then find the price for each ingredient used. Ingredients, such as fresh produce, are imported from Mexico.
When thinking about the floor plan, lots of lights and colors were a main priority. Family is an important part of each of the teammates’ lives, so they wanted to incorporate family photos and a family tree. To do this, they created pull out seating with a wall on the back to hang up family photos or local paintings. Colorful tiles adorn the tables and there will be designated bathrooms specifically for the food truck and its customers.
When the day comes to present in front of the judges, Orozco, Tapia and DeJesus are required to wear business attire as well as set up their posters in a white-curtained space. Once judges are ready, they will judge on their concept, marketing, menu, cost, operations and critical thinking skills.
If South wins out of the 54 schools participating, they will be able to compete in ProStart’s national competition. Then, they would go against a team from each state, but also teams from Japan and/or Canada.
