Many children play at the responsibilities they will have as adults: they talk on pretend phones, they dress up in their parents’ clothing, and they act out scenes from movies and TV shows. But for two evenings this December, the kindergarteners and first through fifth graders in the Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool will bring their make-believe to life: they will run a real café serving real food to real customers.

At the Flying Zucchini Café, held at the Maria L. Baldwin School, children are the hosts, the wait staff, the entertainment planners, the decorators and the chefs. Friends and family come to enjoy a meal and to watch the kids shine in these new grown-up roles. Under the guidance of ABC Afterschool staff, children are empowered to participate in the project from start to finish. Afterschool teachers conduct interviews to “hire” the children for the different positions, and they instruct their students in cooking and customer service. And when the café opens, the kids take center stage.

Maria Laine, Director of Children’s Programs at ABC, says that her favorite part of the project is “seeing kids change because they take on a new role. Suddenly the kids become very polite, very sincere. They take themselves very seriously.” Laine says that the kids garner a huge sense of pride from completing such a big project and doing jobs that they didn’t know they could do: “It’s something the kids remember for years to come.”

In order to keep the crowds manageable for the Flying Zucchini Cafe Employees, the cafe is open only to friends and family of ABC Afterschool students. For more information, contact Maria Laine.