Sarah Camacho, 21, left, and Freci Villanueva, 20, help serve food along with chef Janos Wilder in Janos Southside at Pueblo High School.

James gregg / Arizona Daily Star

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For a few hours once a year, Pueblo High School transforms itself into the Janos Southside restaurant, complete with Mozart playing softly in the background and efficient waitstaff darting around in crisp white shirts and pressed black pants.

More than 200 gourmets dined on ancho-chile-marinated chicken and wilted greens atop calabasas flavored with chipotle and molasses. A dollop of habanero cranberry chutney, a squirt of tepary bean vinaigrette and a sprig of rosemary completed the plate.

OK. So the event took place in a home-economics classroom, the place mats were paper and drinks sold for 50 cents.

It was also the cheapest plate — at $5 a pop — diners are likely to ever get from acclaimed local chef Janos Wilder, who has donated the food and the time to the annual event for eight years.

Wilder might have been the draw, but it was the 43 special-needs students at the school who stole the show.

The students, who all have developmental disabilities, did the greet-and-seat, handed out drink tickets, refilled water glasses, assembled the plates and served guests.

It was a chance to not only raise money for the program, but also allow the students to show off their knowledge of culinary niceties, including serving guests from the left side and making sure vegetarians had options.

Katrina Smits, a professor in the University of Arizona College of Education, said the big culinary hit was the calabasas.

"It's a fabulous event," she said. "The kids are very professional. They know exactly what to do."

Freshman Israel Salazar, 15, had a big smile as he gingerly placed the entrees before guests. He had served as a waiter once before, at a wedding, he said, and thought it was fun.

"I like to help people get what they want," he said, adding he might like to work as a waiter some day.

He said he thinks his strong suit is customer service. "I learned to always act nice and always smile," he said.

Anita Natividad, a 21-year-old senior, was a bundle of efficiency. "We need two plates on the red table, and one more plate on green," she said, after a loop around the room. "So far, it's going smooth," she added. "I always liked the idea of working at a restaurant."

Wilder said he jumped at the chance to help when his friend, special-education teacher Randy Spalding, asked if he'd be willing to help with a fundraiser back in 2000. Fifty diners attended the first year. Now at 220, the event sells out in an hour.

"This is much more than a fundraiser because it's part of the curriculum and gives the students some real experience," Wilder said.

And he gets something out of it every year, he said. "It allows me to relearn the importance of love and affection," he said. "These kids are amazing. They've been giving me hug after hug all day."

Garcia Cleaners donated its uniform laundry services.

Last year, the roughly $1,000 in proceeds paid for countertops in the classroom's new kitchen. The students have not decided on a project for this year, although the money also helps pay for activities throughout the year.

The students worked for tips. And food.

Salazar joked that he was proud of himself for resisting temptation and trying the food he set before guests.

But 16-year-old Ulises Camacho, who was serving as wait staff, grimaced when asked if he liked the fancy food.

Which is why, knowing wilted greens don't have a lot of cachet with the teenage set, Spalding also ordered pizza.