Culinary students at Campbell High School are learning that a standard of excellence gets noticed.

Students of the Culinary II class run the school’s Saber Cafe, which presents a monthly fine-dining lunch on campus. The three-course meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert, with the occasional amuse-bouche and mocktails, plus coffee and hot tea service. The meal offers students lessons in everything from menu planning and cooking to overseeing restaurant reservations and finances.

The cafe draws community members, family and friends, and it was at one of those lunches that diners from the business community took note of the program.

“A group from Servco Pacific got invited to the cafe, and they were pretty impressed at how the cafe was run,” said lead culinary teacher Julie Morihara-Itagaki. “They toured the facility and then asked what we could use.”

Morihara-Itagaki couldn’t believe the company’s gift — three microwaves, two ranges, two countertop ranges, two hoods, two freezers, three refrigerator-freezers, a washer and a dryer. It was a donation worth more than $17,000, given as part of the company’s centennial-year commemoration. (Besides its automotive division, Servco Pacific operates Servco Home & Appliance Distribution.)

Though the Saber Cafe is 6 years old, on Friday about 30 students cooked for the first time in the newly refurbished kitchen. It was a special day, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special guests from the community.

The menu: an appetizer of Kauai shrimp ceviche and ahi tartare served with avocado cream, wasabi soy reduction, microgreens and pickled radish; entree of sous vide rib-eye, roasted Brussels sprouts and garlic Yukon whipped potatoes with shimeji mushroom demi-glace; and for dessert, vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries.

Throughout the year, the Ewa community stays abreast of the cafe’s schedule and menus via Twitter, said Morihara-Itagaki. And like all good restaurants, a lot of folks are led to its doors through word of mouth. Beyond the upscale dishes, part of the draw is the price, $25, plus another $5 for unlimited drinks.

For the student body, Mori- hara-Itagaki’s advanced students also run the school’s Saber Grill, with its $1 takeout menu, and work on other special projects.

Campbell’s culinary program this year enrolled more than 100 students in four Culinary I classes and about 75 in three Culinary II classes. They’re taught by Mori-hara-Itagaki and a part-time teacher who’s a Campbell graduate.

Next year, the program will expand by one faculty member and a new class focused on baking and pastry.

Morihara-Itagaki said that students have various reasons for taking culinary classes — some simply want to learn the skill of cooking, some want to eat. Only a handful go on to culinary school — but all come to love the camaraderie amid the hard work of the kitchen.

“It’s really different from other classes. They become family and friends with these people,” she said. “Students enjoy it so much.”

Friday’s meal was Saber Cafe’s last for the school year. Its first meal for the next school year will be in September. Call 305-3697 for reservations.