By: Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published November 8, 2025
ROSEVILLE — Something was cooking inside the Roseville High School cafe the morning of Oct. 29.
That’s because the culinary arts students participated in a meals ready to eat challenge. The meal ready to eat, better known as an MRE, is a prepackaged food ration for the U.S. armed forces. The meals usually include an entree, side dish, cracker or bread, a dessert, a beverage, and a flameless ration heater.
Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Dunn and Sgt. Angel Weatherbee were present for the contest. Both work out of the Michigan Army National Guard recruiting office located at 31089 Hayes Road in Warren.
There were two contests with two different classes: one at 8 a.m. and one at 10 a.m. The culinary arts program is a 2-hour block. The students worked in pairs and were given a packet of ingredients to start. From there, they added other foods, condiments and spices. They had 15 minutes to come up with a meal, and Dunn and Weatherbee offered tips.
“I want you to look at your ingredients,” Dunn said. “I want you to create your own dishes.”
The students put their cooking skills to the test. Some of the menus included tacos with chicken and cheese, chicken stir fry, cinnamon buns, meatballs, blueberry cobbler and chocolate chunk cookies. Junior Kendall Smith and senior Logen Kaid, for instance, worked together to make stew sliders, garlic sticks and poundcake bites.
Dunn and Weatherbee said that the favorite meal on-site among the service members was chili and macaroni. Once completed, the students brought their meals into the cafe area. Each group explained what they made and all the students were required to take a bite of their food.
Shawn Thompson and Andreana Woodward are the culinary arts teachers. Their students are exposed to a variety of skills, learn menu planning, sanitation, cooking techniques and more.
“They learn different aspects of cooking, not just steak and eggs all the time,” Thompson said. “We do Indian, Polish, German food. Once a week we change up our menu.”
Thompson said the students also like to try recipes they’ve found on TikTok, including chicken wings and jambalaya.
Junior Hayden Judge is enjoying the class.
“I like all the experiences. I love the teachers and I like learning about the history of food and how it affects cultures and people’s opinions,” he said. “Some eat to live, (for) some it’s a social experiment.”
During the challenge, he combined a number of ingredients that included a protein powder, jalapeno cashews and coconut. He added milk “and smashed it up.”
During the visit, Weatherbee gave a presentation about the Army National Guard. He went over the enlistment requirements, and enlistment contracts range from three to six years. A typical guardsman performs one drill per month for two to three days, and annual training is for two weeks every summer.
There are several benefits to joining the Army National Guard, per the presentation, including the training, a steady monthly paycheck, networking and college money. Weatherbee also is a truck driver and Dunn is a helicopter mechanic.