For $10, anyone can enjoy yummy buffet lunch while supporting education
BUTLER TWP — An intimate and sparkling clean restaurant with plentiful and delicious selections offers a full meal for just $10.
Regulars at The Lunch Box, the restaurant run by culinary arts students at the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School adjacent to Butler Senior High School, call the venue a hidden gem.
Clark Morton, assistant principal and support services coordinator at the vo-tech, said The Lunch Box is open from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday through May 30 when school is in session.
Students prepare all the food on the buffet, which includes soup, salad, two entrees, a starch and vegetable, plus desserts.
All items are made from scratch in the spotless kitchen behind the swinging doors near the buffet, where students in black novice chef hats and aprons can be seen checking, replenishing or wiping down the buffet.
On one particular Wednesday, dozens of diners enjoyed potato and tomato-tortilla soups, cheesesteak egg rolls, chicken fried steak, fried chicken, grilled potato wedges, Brussels sprouts and broccoli florets, plus a variety of tempting desserts prepared in the program’s bakery.
The menu changes each week, so diners can patronize The Lunch Box when the menu most suits their tastes.
Morton said patrons include local workers grabbing lunch, former students and their families, senior citizens, and anyone who has heard about the delicious and affordable restaurant.
“We get lots of compliments on our food,” Morton said. “People call us the best hidden gem in Butler County.”
Jackie Pfeiffer of Winfield Township called the lunch she had “amazing” on one particular Wednesday.
She said she eats at The Lunch Box three times per month between March, when the restaurant opened, and May.
“I come as often as I can because I like to support the students, and I like to hear the stories about why they are in the culinary program, what their future plans are, and how proud they are of everything they do,” said Pfeiffer, who is a former Knoch School Board director.
Kyleigh Hinchberger of Center Township graduated from the vo-tech’s culinary arts program in 2018. She now cooks at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.
She said she appreciates the vo-tech culinary program because she was able to get a good job in her chosen field right out of high school.
“They teach you a lot of hands-on stuff,” Hinchberger said.
She declared the lunch she had “very good.”
Audrey Bowser of Butler Township eats at The Lunch Box every week with her sister, Mandy Supic, and a friend or two she brings along.
Bowser’s daughter, Kylie, is a senior in the culinary arts program.
“It gives them real-life experience on what they are going to do for a living once they leave high school,” Bowser said.
Kylie, whose favorite culinary projects are pies and breads, said program graduates have an edge on others applying for restaurant jobs, as they have experience and food-handling certificates.
John and Gloria Draper of Butler saw a flyer for The Lunch Box and decided to give it a try recently.
“It’s outstanding food, and we wanted to support the kids,” Gloria said.
“We’ll come more often now, because we’re both retired,” John said.
One table with three generations of graduates from the vo-tech’s culinary arts program enjoyed lunch together on a recent Wednesday.
Kim Curzi of Center Township attended in 1986 and ’87; her daughter, Amanda McDade in 2005 and ’06; and her stepdaughter, Ginny Heltsley in 2020 and ’21.
“We all like to cook,” said Curzi, who added she was glad to enroll in a field she loved, especially since she had no plans to attend college.
McDade said she chose the program because it is so well-promoted by the Butler Area School District.
“In the younger grades, when you hear 'vo-tech,' you think culinary arts,” she said.
She appreciates that the program keeps growing and improving, with added culinary opportunities for students each year.
Heltsley called cooking her passion.
“I’ve always loved putting things together in the kitchen,” she said. “It was my life for two years here. I loved it.”
Mike Barczak, one of two culinary arts teachers, said The Lunch Box offers vital experience to students.
“It’s important for students to cook for the public because that’s who they’re going to be cooking for in the real world,” he said.
He said he creates the menus for The Lunch Box to challenge the students and offer a diverse range of selections, and students prepare all the food from scratch.
Barczak recalls one student several years ago who participated in a pizza competition by preparing a beautiful pepperoni pizza she said was often enjoyed by her family.
He said the pizza was perfectly prepared with the small slices of pepperoni that turn up when heated.
In each pepperoni was a miniature peanut butter cup.
“I tried it,” Barczak said. “It was a unique experience.”
While he doesn’t know how that student turned out, he said a graduate named Josh Zimmerman owns Mars Farmhouse Cafe and has worked in clubs and resorts all over the U.S.
Four graduates work at the Chop Shop in Butler and five or six work at the Butler Country Club, Barczak said.
He said there is no greater joy than taking teenagers, who are often stereotyped, and teaching them a valuable skill.
“We train them in a profession we’ve dedicated our lives to,” Barczak said.
Charlie Plyler, a culinary arts senior, said he wanted to go into the field when he signed up as a sophomore. He loves the program so much that he has continued to sign up each year since then.
“You can go to any town in any state and get a job in a restaurant,” Charlie said. “I really, really enjoy this program.”
Sophomore Kara Sims likes both the cooking and baking sides of the program equally.
“It’s a good opportunity, and I think it will help me in the future,” Kara said.
One thing she never considered about running a restaurant is the educated guess the chef and cooks must make when deciding how much food to prepare for that day.
“It’s kind of like a balancing act,” Kara said.
Faith Giza, a sophomore, most enjoys preparing chicken dishes, especially with a tomato-based sauce.
“I didn’t realize you need so many people to run a restaurant,” Faith said.
The weekly menu at The Lunch Box, which is at the southern end of the Butler Senior High School campus beside Art Bernardi Stadium, is available at butlertec.us/Page/494.
