MADISON TOWNSHIP — There’s a new brunch spot in town. The Ramble Inn is back in business.
Located inside Madison Comprehensive High School, the restaurant is run by students in the culinary arts career tech program. Customers can also order drinks from Common Grounds, a student-run cafe that opened last year.
Madison Career-Tech relaunched its culinary arts program in 2022 after more than a decade.
Up until Wednesday, the Ramble Inn and Common Grounds were open only to teachers, students and during senior citizen luncheons.
“When Chef Mo (Nikki Mosiychuk) started, one of our goals was eventually to be open to the public again,” said Jacob Grove, Madison’s director of career technical education.
“(The Ramble Inn) was something that was a tradition here at Madison and we wanted to bring that back.”
The Ramble Inn is open Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Menu items include baked goods, omelettes and classic combos of bacon, eggs, pancakes and hash browns. Guests can also order specials like sausage gravy and biscuits, a breakfast wrap or chicken n’ waffles.
Students do everything from seating guests to waiting tables to preparing food and drinks. All sales go back into the culinary arts program. Tips will help fund senior culinary field trips.
“They work up to that as a senior,” said Mosiychuk, the program instructor. “There’s a big food show in Chicago. I want them to experience that.”
Customers should enter the Ramble Inn doors located on the East side of the building. As they approach the main entrance, they should follow the sidewalk on the right which runs behind the flagpole.
“We are going to look at options in the future to mark the entrance clearer for customers,” Grove said. “Right now, we will have to make do with the resources that we have to mark the entrance for the Ramble Inn.”
Culinary program prepares students for the workplace
Mosiychuk said the culinary arts program prepares students for a wider variety of food-related careers, including restaurateur, caterer, dietician and pastry chef. Students split their time between the traditional classroom, the kitchen and the coffee shop. Time spent preparing and serving food and drinks count towards the 200 hours of practical work experience they need to graduate.
Some culinary arts students are already working at eateries like Hudson & Essex and Mansfield Family Restaurant. For those who aren’t, the cafe provides good entry level experience and a chance to build their confidence.
Junior Kayla Lewis said the program has helped build her social skills with customers and coworkers alike.
“Communication is a big part of culinary — being able to work back in the kitchen and communicate with each other and show each other that you’re listening,” she said.
Mosiychuk said she hopes to expand The Ramble Inn’s hours further in the future.
“I hope that people come. I really want them to sample everything the kids are doing. Then hopefully one day it’ll be lunches and dinners and then football games,” she said.
“We take pride in everything we do. They’re really hardworking kids and they just want to provide for the community.”