SAVANNAH, Ga. () — On Tuesday, April 15, News 3 spent time with seventh grade students in Neil Gabbey’s “mini-mester” class at Big Bon Bodega, where they learned about making bagels.

The mini-mesters are offered every year during spring break by  Savannah Country Day School (SCDS). They are experiential classes outside of the standard curriculum.

These classes can be everything from learning the sport of fencing or sailing to the studying the fashion industry. On this day, the class spent time with local business owners to see what it takes to run a successful business. 

Big Bon Bodega CEO Kay Heritage was thrilled to entertain the students. “Middle school is the perfect age to talk about business and entrepreneurship because they’re still deciding what interests them and what they want to do in life. It’s the perfect time to expose them to what we do as small business owners.”

SCDS teacher Neil Gabbey teaches English to these seventh graders, but he also writes about food for local publications. Food has been a passion for him for as long as he can remember so it just made sense for him to offer this opportunity to his students. A few years ago, he reached out to local restaurant owners and chefs and asked if they’d be willing to spend time with the student. The response was overwhelming. Since then, his students have seen the inner workings of prestigious places like Husk, Plant Riverside and Southern Cross Hospitality. “People have been so friendly and welcoming. Opening their doors to us. I tell my students that many of these restauranteurs missed their calling to be middle school teachers because they are so wonderful with the kids.”

At Big Bon Bodega, the kids learned what goes into making bagels. They learned the chemistry of combining yeast with local honey to create different tastes and textures. And they learned that every ingredient that goes into a bagel sandwich directly affects the taste of it. Chef Shahin Afsharian hand-picked today’s ingredients for the students. In addition to fried eggs, bacon and tomatoes, they chose from peppery arugula, tangly pickled onions and cucumbers. “Ingredients for everything at Big Bon are very carefully sourced,” said Chef Shahin. “There is nothing better than locally sourced ingredients. In addition to supporting our local vendors, it adds a little ‘extra special flavor’ to our menu items.”

Gabbey encouraged his students to try new things to see how they impact the taste of the bagel sandwich. After seeing the inner workings of Big Bon Bodega and enjoying a delicious bagel sandwich, the students were hooked. Seventh grader Kate Siegall liked learning about Big Bon’s story of how the restaurant began as a wood-fired pizza food truck and grew to the beautiful location on the corner of 37th and Bull in Savannah. “I really like trying new foods,” she said. “Also my mom is a really good cook and I like to cook with her.”

Gabbey said he wants field trips like these to ignite a fire in his students. “I hope the first thing the kids take away is either creating a love for food. Deepening the appreciation that Savannah restaurants are phenomenal. And that they’re run by phenomenal people. And for them to see it’s about these people who love this as their vocation and as their life’s work. And they want to share it with the community. For the kids to come away and go, ‘Hey mom and dad…next time we go out, can we go to Husk?’ On Saturday morning, ‘Can we go to Big Bon and grab bagels?’ And so that the kids pay it back and tell their friends and family. Just spread the Savannah food scene love!”