For the aspiring chefs in one Port Townsend high school cooking class, providing a hot meal for the guests of a local homeless shelter gave them a chance to show off their skills and give back to the community.

The 20 members of Martina Haskin's 12th grade cooking class served piping hot meals to a group of men currently staying at the Port Townsend Emergency Winter Homeless Shelter. Students prepared dishes including garlic pasta, meatloaf sandwiches and sweet chocolate éclairs to the less fortunate men, many of whom are war veterans.

This is the fifth season that the shelter has opened its doors to the area's destitute population, though it is the first time that local students have volunteered in such a manner. Students were excited to be making a difference in the community.

"I'd love for us to do this more often," Karl Booth, one of the student chefs, told the Peninsula Daily news. "A lot of good food goes to waste often with teenagers, and it would be good to share it with the homeless."

People considering hosting their own banquet for the less fortunate might consider using wire chafers to keep food hot while they prepare their next dish or create another plate.