Quality is The Main Ingredient: Inside the Henry O. Peabody School Culinary Arts Program-October 7, 1974

“People don’t know how to dine,” maintains Richard J. Camire, instructor of dining room management at the Henry O. Peabody School.

As the culinary arts program’s first male director, Camire expressed a firm belief that Americans, as a whole, simply do not demand enough quality in their everyday dining habits. As an educator training the next generation of food service professionals, he is determined to change that mindset.

Despite a boyish appearance that belies his 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry, the moustachioed chef brings a vast national resume to Norwood, having worked in kitchens and hotels across California, Florida, Arizona, Wyoming, New York City, Vermont, and New Hampshire—where he first began his career as a breakfast cook’s helper in 1958 at Wentworth-By-The-Sea. Before transitioning to education, Camire operated Sassone’s Restaurant in Lynn with 80 employees, and held positions at prestigious establishments including the Pillar House and Gilbert and Davis Caterers in Newton, The Market Place in Chelsea, and the Mayflower Inn in Plymouth. His most recent teaching post was at Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute in Hathorne.

Right at Home in the Peabody Kitchen

Camire appeared right at home as his students bustled about the immaculate Peabody School kitchen on Thursday, preparing to open the school’s public dining room for the busy lunch hour.

Operating since the vocational school opened in 1942, the Peabody dining room is one of those local gems that regular patrons tend to keep as a well-guarded secret. Open daily from Tuesday through Friday starting at 11:00 a.m., the dining room offers a rotating menu featuring four main entrees—all priced under two dollars—alongside a variety of a la carte options.

On this particular Thursday, the headlining dish was shish kebab with rice pilaf, accompanied by vegetable soup or fish pâté, tossed salad, and peas and mushrooms—all for just $1.60.

Quality Foremost Over Price

While the prices are remarkably budget-friendly, Chef Camire is quick to downplay the cost factor. “Price is not our main consideration,” he asserted. “Quality is.”

Peabody School Director Ruth M. Shea noted that the dining room enjoys a dedicated following of “regulars,” including high school teachers, local professionals, and the neighborhood mailman who dine there daily. “Our intent is to serve a good meal at a fair price and yet cover the cost of the operation,” Miss Shea explained, adding that making reservations is highly advisable.

All cooking and service are handled entirely by students. Camire’s current class of 21 students represents a diverse mix, ranging from high school juniors and seniors to local homemakers returning to the workforce.

Firmly believing that “experience is the best teacher,” Camire offers blunt advice to anyone pursuing a career in food service: “You can’t be afraid of work—long, hard, hot, demanding, exhausting work. And you have to have a feel for it.”

Public Catering and Popular Bakery Counter

Beyond the sit-down dining room, the Peabody School also provides public catering services. Furthermore, the school’s active bakery department sells its fresh daily wares to the public. Lines of hungry high school students routinely form at the bakery sales window—with some purchasing just a single cupcake—while suburban matrons and local organizations swear by the bakery’s offerings for private entertaining.

As one local woman remarked while sniffing the rich aromas escaping from the kitchen ahead of the Thursday lunch rush, “I’m glad to be a guinea pig for these kids.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger