In a nearly full dining room at Watershed Wood-Fired Kitchen in Bethel on April 26, guests were served a five-course meal prepared by 16-year-old Henry Perks, a Telstar High School sophomore and culinary student at Region 9 School of Applied Technology.

The menu featured a charcuterie board, French house salad, duck confit cassoulet with English black currant, beef bourguignon and melt-in-your mouth beignets with crème for dessert.

From their tables, patrons watched as Perks used a blowtorch to caramelize sugar atop the beignets.

Perks said he has been interested in cooking for years, learning alongside his German and Italian grandmothers. His German grandmother, whom he calls “Oma,” taught him what makes a good mustard. She makes cakes and sausages, while the Italian side of the family is all about pasta.

The town rallied. Some were served, while others worked as servers. Waitstaff included his mother, Elke Blauss, Telstar Librarian Kelly Fraser, Crescent Park School Food Service worker Theresa Gibson, and NorthStar 4-H Youth Mentoring Program Coordinator Noah Grondin.

Perks’ classmate Nicholas LaPointe worked his usual Waterhouse role as a food prepper, and Andrew Raymond, typically the restaurant’s pizza chef, was Perks’ assistant. Perks is also a pasta chef.

When he initially talked with his boss, Vicki Fimiani, owner of Watershed at 11 Philbrook St., Perks figured they would be putting out a jar for donations. Instead she offered Perks the restaurant for free and was a customer at the second seating with her husband, Tom DeLuca.

Blauss, Perks’ mother and also a Telstar teacher, encouraged him to apply to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where he plans to study during July. After learning about the $7,000 cost, Perks said he sought scholarships, including one from Project Opportunity. The dinner at Watershed has helped him finish securing the funding.

Perks developed the menu and calculated ingredient needs with Region 9 Culinary Arts Director Rachael Robinson who covered the cost of the food. He worked nearly 12 hours that day preparing for and executing the dinner.

At the first seating, family filled some of the tables, including his brother, father, aunt and grandfather. Others, such as Perks’ Telstar soccer coach Nik Conrad and many others he didn’t know, filled other tables.

As the first seating ended, Perks and Raymond walked from table to table thanking diners. Perks later said greeting people was awkward for him, but otherwise he felt completely in his element.

Next year, he plans to compete in SkillsUSA, and after high school hopes to attend culinary school in Europe.

For now, though, his focus is on July — when he’ll trade a small-town kitchen for one in Paris.