St. John Henry Newman Student Serves Up Weekly Restaurant Reviews
Article written & photos taken by Kate McCullough-reporter for the Hamilton Spectator
Grade 12 student Giuseppe Palermo, 17, and videographer Daniel Guagliano, 16, film a review of Zakynthos Restaurant on Centennial Parkway North at lunchtime on May 1. Giuseppe’s weekly reviews are played on classroom TVs during Friday morning announcements and posted to the St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School student council’s Instagram.
The pita was warm and soft, the meat well-seasoned. Crisp vegetables added a “freshness” and pop of colour to the gyro.
Hamilton student Giuseppe Palermo rated Zakynthos Restaurant a nine out of 10.
“I’m nice and full now,” he said, talking to an iPhone camera held by friend Daniel Guagliano outside the Centennial Parkway North eatery. “The food was delicious.”
Grade 12 student Giuseppe Palermo, 17, gave Zakynthos Restaurant on Centennial Parkway North a nine out of 10 in his weekly food review.
Thursday’s review was the third in a series of restaurant reviews 17-year-old Giuseppe is filming for his peers at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School in Stoney Creek.
Every week, he eats lunch at a different restaurant a short walk or drive from the Gray Road high school, and films a review, rating the food, service and atmosphere. The video reviews are broadcast to classroom TVs during morning announcements on Fridays and posted on the student council Instagram.
“I love food, and I think the best way to experience cultures is through food,” the Grade 12 student said.
He has already reviewed Maria’s Tortas Jalisco, a Mexican restaurant on Highway 8, and Rony’s, a chicken restaurant on Gray Road.
Next up is SimSim, serving Lebanese street food on Highway 8.
The teenaged food reviewer doesn’t have a set radius, but all restaurants are within a few kilometres of the school. Maria’s Tortas Jalisco, for example, is two blocks past McDonald’s, a popular student lunch spot.
Giuseppe, who's considering studying biomedical science in university next year, started reviewing local dishes during a Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board service trip to the Dominican Republic, and a friend on student council asked him to continue the initiative when they returned to Hamilton.
St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School students Daniel Guagliano, 16 (left), and Giuseppe Palermo, 17, eat lunch at Zakynthos Restaurant on Centennial Parkway North before filming a food review.
The aim is twofold: to let students know about the array of lunch options in their school community, while supporting local and independent businesses.
The reviews might encourage students to opt for Maria’s Tortas Jalisco, which offered student discounts the week following the review, over their usual haunt, and families to consider a new weekend spot.
Grade 12 student Giuseppe Palermo takes a bite of a gyro at Zakynthos Restaurant on Centennial Parkway North. He filmed a food review with videographer Daniel Guagliano, 16, for classmates at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School.
Sometimes, the restaurant offers a free meal, but for the most part student council pays. For Giuseppe, it’s a fun way to end his last year of high school.
“It’s a great experience for me,” he said. “I’ll always take free food.”
