Tasty Learning

At The Lunch Box, students deliver what they learn onto a plate.

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Culinary Arts program at the Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center sent Sam Wagoner onto a career at local high-end restaurants. He’s thrilled now to have come full circle, taking over for Chef Ed Ellis as culinary arts instructor with the EVSC.

With the COVID-19 crisis having eased, the culinary arts program has reopened its student-run restaurant, The Lunch Box, at SICTC’s campus on 1901 Lynch Road. The community is welcome for lunch Tuesday-Thursday during the school year. Evansville Living visited The Lunch Box recently and enjoyed a tasty smoked pork chop marinated with spiced apples, plus a garden salad, stuffed pepper soup, baked beans, buttered corn, and rolls. Dessert choices included chocolate pie or snickerdoodle cookies.

Plates are $8 each, carryout is available, and reservations are allowed. At this time, only cash and check payments are accepted. The menu changes daily and is posted on SICTC’s Facebook page and website. Wagoner says the fried chicken day is popular with diners, but the restaurant is seeing good lunch crowds whenever it is open.

Photo of Sam Wagoner by John Martin

Wagoner works with about 50 high school juniors and seniors. Juniors spend their mornings at SICTC preparing the food, while seniors arrive in the afternoon to work the buffet. As part of their class grade, seniors also have internship opportunities with local food service providers.

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sictc.evscschools.com/courses/culinary_arts

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John Martin
John Martin
John Martin joined Tucker Publishing Group, Inc., in January 2023 as a senior writer after more than two decades covering a variety of beats for the Evansville Courier & Press. He previously worked for newspapers in Owensboro and Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Bowling Green native and Western Kentucky University graduate has a daughter, Caroline, who is in college at IUPUI in Indianapolis. John enjoys cheering for his beloved Cincinnati Reds, as well as Evansville’s college and pro sports teams. A classic rock fan, you can also find John in the city’s music venues, local restaurants, and coffee shops. John is a member of the VOICES Inc. Board of Directors and volunteers as a student mentor at Glenwood Leadership Academy.

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