The Linguica with eggs was sublime

On Saturday, November 10th, a crack team of 9 students and 5 faculty members hit the road for Providence, Rhode Island. We pulled up to the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University at 10am and, after stepping out of the High School van, participants were given sketchbook journals with which to record their visit. Once inside, the group was greeted by Richard J.S. Gutman, the museum's curator and noted Diner Historian. His book, "American Diner: Then And Now" is, in my opinion, essential reading for any diner enthusiast.

A personalized tour of the museum's diner exhibit followed, and the day was capped off by lunch at the nearby Seaplane Diner. After feasting on tasty Portuguese Linguica sausage, I ordered up a short stack of pancakes and sunk my fork into its mound of syrupy goodness. The coffee was gloriously potent.

After our meal, we headed back to Dover-Sherborn. Our first field trip had been a rousing success, and it all came down to the awesome group of students and faculty members who've signed on for this crazy one-of-a-kind project. Viva La Arts Diner!

So, I had this idea...

About halfway through the 2006-2007 school year, I started tossing around a crazy idea. Fueled by my lifelong love of diners, I envisioned enthusiastic students at Dover-Sherborn High School working together to create a life-size diorama of a traditional New England diner. I guess you could call it an "art installation." It wouldn't feature working griddles or coffee makers, and it wouldn't even necessarily serve food at all. I see the Arts Diner as a creative nod to these beautiful, yet often rusting gems that dot our roadside. A love letter of sorts.

When I pitched it to the other members of the Arts Department at Dover-Sherborn, the ball truly started rolling. The creative powers of Mrs. Thibeault, Mrs. Grassia-Crenshaw, Mr. Grout, Mr. Sweeney, and myself had been officially secured. Now, it was time to write the grant. The Dover-Sherborn Educational Fund (DSEF) has a reputation for its foresight and generosity, and I feel fortunate that its members recognized something in my proposal. All that accompanied the written proposal was a concept sketch of the Arts Diner as I saw it. I was granted funds to create the Arts Diner during the 2007-2008 school year.