CLC 12 - Capstone Project Draft Proposal
CLC 12 - Capstone Project Draft Proposal
Proposed title for my Project Proposal: (write the proposed title for your Capstone Project in one clear
sentence): To help create a vegan menu for my mom’s restaurant in order to drive more customers towards
her business.
What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that you cannot
just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
What skills and knowledge will I need to create a vegan menu for my mom’s business/restaurant?
Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are choosing to
investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect to your passion(s),
purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?
I decided to choose this inquiry question because my mom has been a business owner for many years
now, and it’s something that she invests a lot of her time into, works hard for, and is extremely proud of.
She finds a lot of joy in being able to create/cook items that can put a smile on people’s faces and she
loves the idea that her cooking is able to bring people together. She’s mentioned before that a lot of
vegans have come in to dine in her restaurant, but there aren’t many options for them to choose from.
She said this made her upset because the goal of her restaurant is for anyone that walks in to be able
to sit down, relax, and have a delicious meal that was crafted by my mom and her team. This area of
inquiry connects to my passions because I love cooking, especially when it’s with my mom, and
experimenting with different ingredients and/or new recipes. I find the whole process of trial and error to
be very satisfying because once I reach the end result/product, I’m always satisfied with the outcome as
I know that I worked really hard for it. I also believe that it’s my purpose to help out with my mom's
restaurant as much as I can because she’s always supported me with my goals, and I want to be able
to do the same for her. My mom’s business is definitely a huge part of not only her life, but also my life
as well. While helping around in the restaurant, I’ve been able to witness the impact that my mom’s food
has on her customers, and I’ve been able to capture those moments of when people bond over the food
that my mom works so hard to create. I want more people to be able to experience and taste the food
that’s offered at my mom’s restaurant, but I believe the only way to do this is by expanding the variety of
the menu such as adding a vegan section to the menu. Creating a vegan menu will allow for all
customers who walk in the restaurant, even if they have dietary restrictions, to be able to have the full
experience of Japanese cuisine that my mom’s restaurant has to offer.
Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this area of inquiry?
If I’m being honest, I don’t have a lot of knowledge about what is needed to be able to create a menu
and about the business field in general. Although my mom’s been a business owner for several years
now, I’ve never really made an effort before to learn about it until now. When the Capstone project was
first introduced to us, I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do but on that same day, my mom had
coincidentally expressed her concern about not having any vegan items on her restaurant’s menu. This
sparked an idea in my head to help my mom create a vegan menu for her restaurant and I knew that it
would be something that I would be interested in and passionate about. However, I knew that this was
going to be a long process as this is a project that’s new to me and it’s definitely a little bit out of my
comfort zone as I’m taking charge of what my mom would normally do. The only knowledge that I have
about this area of inquiry is that constructing a menu takes a lot of dedication and time as it can be an
extremely long process. I can say this because I’ve seen some parts of this process by my mom and
her employees when they were coming up with new items, specifically special rolls, to add to the menu.
Some items made it on the menu while others didn’t but that’s simply all part of the process. I’ve
actually been able to be present during one of the taste test sessions of some sample items that my
mom and her employees had planned, and the session lasted a lot longer than I had expected. I
thought that after each item, they would have simply stated whether it was worth going on the menu or
not, however, they had to discuss every single component of that item; the visual, smell, the texture, the
taste, and the after taste.
Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What connections does this
inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?
My intended career area at this point in time is to either go into psychology to become a psychologist or
into education to become a secondary school teacher, but I’m still trying to navigate which career path
intrigues me more. This inquiry question connects to one of my life goals as I’ve always believed that it’s
my purpose to support my mom with her business. It’s been a goal of mine for a while to create
something for her business, such as a social media account or renewing/updating the restaurant’s
website. I always knew that I wanted to do something for the business, but I was never able to find
something that made me excited or passionate enough to actually start a plan. However, the capstone
project has allowed me to find something that I could work on for the business that’s realistic and will
help benefit the restaurant. This inquiry question somewhat connects to my career goals because there
have been moments where I’ve considered taking over my mom’s business and it’s something that is
still on my mind. My plan is to go into university for psychology or education, and once I finish my
studies, I’ll help co-own my mom’s restaurant while also working for my intended occupation. It sounds
a little overwhelming right now, but I believe that I’ll be able to do it as business has always been a part
of my life and it’s definitely something that I want to dip my toes into and participate in.
Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core competencies will
be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.
Personal Awareness & Responsibility
1. Self-Determination - I can express my needs and seek help when needed: With my capstone
project, there will be a lot of times where I will need to seek help from my mom and/or her
employees as I don’t have a lot of knowledge about what it takes to create a menu. I’m the type
of person that can immediately recognize when I’m struggling and will find a way to get the help
that I need no matter what. It’s very likely that my mom won’t always be available to answer any
of my questions, however, with my time management skills I will always figure out how and when
I can get help.
2. Self-Regulation - I understand learning takes patience and time: I’m aware that this project will
require a lot of my time as it’s a very important project for this year that will demonstrate my skills
and abilities. There is a lot of information that I need to learn about the steps of creating a menu
and skills that I need to develop in order for this project to progress smoothly. Especially
because creating a (vegan) menu is a completely new project to me that I’ve never even
attempted to tackle before, it will definitely be a long process that I will need to put a lot of work
into. However, I know that through this project, I will be able to gain the skills and knowledge that
are needed to reach my goal, and the outcome will make this process worth it.
Social Responsibility
1. Solving problems in peaceful ways - I can identify and appreciate different perspectives on
issues and use and evaluate strategies to resolve problems: When I receive feedback from my
mom and her employees on the items that I end up creating, they’re all going to have different
opinions and there will be some who have the complete opposite opinion than mine. Not every
item that I make is going to fully satisfying everyone’s taste buds, but that’s something that I just
have to accept. There are going to be moments where some people will love the items that I
create while others not so much. Throughout this journey, I’ll need to be able to recognize that
everyone has different taste buds and not get so discouraged when I receive constructive
criticism, but I’ll try my very best to consider every feedback that I receive to apply it to the next
test.
2. Building relationships - I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships: Majority of the
people that I will be working with throughout this project (my mom’s employees) are a few years
older or much older than me. They’re a significant component to my project as they will help me
evaluate the items whenever I test the recipes, which is why it’s crucial for me to have good
relationships with them. Although there’s a difference of ages between the employees and I, and
there will most certainly be differences of opinions, I already know most of the employees fairly
well and they’re all easy going people. There’s never been a time where I felt like the employees
looked down on me or treated me differently because of my age. I’ve already built strong
relationships with most of the staff at my mom’s restaurant and I’m hoping to only strengthen
these relationships along the way.
Critical Thinking
1. Analyze and Critique - I can analyze and critique my work and my learning: This project will
require me to analyze and critique my work very often as that will be the only way I will be able to
make progress with my work. After every trial/test of each recipe, I will need to critique my own
work and figure out what I could do differently for the next test. Although my mom and her
employees will also give me feedback, I will always be the first one to taste and see the finished
products, and I’ll be the first one to make judgements about it. It’s very important that I’m able to
criticize my own work, especially for this specific project, because I’m the one that will be
keeping track of my progress and will be creating the product at the end.
2. Develop and Design – I understand the purpose for my work and consider my audience: While
working on this project, I will always be thinking about the purpose and why I’m doing. Not only is
the purpose of this project to help/support my mom with her business, but it’s also to allow all
customers, despite their dietary restrictions, to feel included when they walk in to Sango
Japanese Restaurant. The goal for this project is to allow vegans to also have a range of items
that they’re able to choose from when they look at the menu and to be able to experience
Japanese cuisine in the same way that people who don’t have dietary restrictions do.
Creative Thinking
1. Generating Ideas – I can use the environment around me, including others, and my unconscious
mind to generate new ideas: I’ve recently realized that my environment and the people that are
in it influence my ideas a lot. For example, when the idea of my Capstone Project had first come
up in my head, it was all a coincidence because while I was silently worrying about what I should
focus on for my Capstone project in my head, my mom was complaining about how her
restaurant lacks items for vegans. If it wasn’t for the environment that I was in and the
collaboration between my mind and my mom’s rant, I would’ve never thought of this idea. I can
guarantee that these types of scenarios will occur many times during the project as well because
that’s how our minds work. We come up with the best ideas during the moments where we least
expect it. As I begin to work on and test different recipes, I can see my ideas being
inspired/influenced by scenarios similar to the one I mentioned above, the people that support
me during the process, and simply being in the kitchen and in an environment where I have the
freedom to be creative.
2. Developing Ideas – I can persevere, and understand that failure can be productive: There will be
several moments throughout this project where I test out a certain recipe and it turns out to be
completely unsuccessful, or I have a good idea for a recipe but then it just doesn’t end up
working out. These are all scenarios that I’m aware of and although I can see myself getting
discouraged during these situations, there will always be something for me to get out of these
situations that will allow me to improve the recipes and the menu items. Failure is a part of the
process because it’s impossible to perfect a vegan menu in one try as there are several steps
that I need to take in order to create it.
Communication
1. Connect and engage with others – I can listen, learn to contribute to meaningful discussion and
debate, consider different perspectives, and build consensus: It’s significant for my Capstone
project that I’m able to have meaningful conversations with my mentors and I’m able to consider
different perspectives when I ask for other people’s input. My mentors (my mom and her
employees) are the people that I will be reaching out to the most because they’re people who
have a lot of knowledge and experience with business and food (specifically Japanese cuisine).
Therefore, it’s important that I take their perspectives into consideration when I continue to work
on my project because they also have a good idea of what the customers would like, after having
many years of experience. I’m also mature enough to engage in meaningful discussions even if
it’s with people that may have different opinions than me, which is why it won’t be a problem for
me when I begin to ask for their evaluations. Moreover, having meaningful discussions with my
mom is also very important because she would most likely be able to give me the most honest
feedback and will communicate to me what she expects for future trials. My mom’s also a chef
who is extremely picky with food which is why she’s so good at explaining what components of
an item might be lacking/missing and what parts of it need to stand out more.
2. Explain/recount and reflect on experiences and accomplishments – I can reflect on the
processes of learning and share what I have learned: Throughout this project, it’s required of me
to reflect on what I learn from my Capstone and give updates on my progress. This is an
important part to my project because not only will I be communicating to the teacher on what I’ve
learned so far during the process, but it’ll also help me because I will be able to look back on
what skills and knowledge I’ve gained so far, and I’ll be able to look back on my progress in
general. This can be useful for when I’m critiquing the recipes that I will be using and for
whenever I’m cooking/testing the recipes because I’ll know what I need to focus on for each test.
Sharing my learning will also be extremely important for when I’m presenting my Capstone
Project as I will be demonstrating everything that I have learned/gained from this project and it
will also show how I’m able to put in the time and effort into the things that I am passionate for.
Personal & Cultural Identity
1. Personal Values and Choices – I understand what is important to me: This project will allow me
to recognize my values and what is important in my life. My mom’s business is extremely
important to her as it’s something that she is passionate about and worked hard for on her own,
and because it’s so important to her, her business has become very important to me as well. My
mom is definitely a role model in my life as there’s never been a day where she’s not done
something productive with her day. This has motivated me to work hard for my goals, and being
able to help out with my mom’s business has been one of my goals for a while now and I’m glad
that I’m putting my goal into action. No matter how long this project will take me and even if I do
need to continue working on it after this course is finished, I’m so happy that I’m step closer to
my goal and I hope that this project will help drive more customers to her restaurant.
2. Personal Strengths and Abilities – I know my strengths and what makes me unique: In every
situation, I recognize my strengths and try to apply them as much as I can in any scenario. I’m
aware that my strengths are what allow me to get my work done and it’s also what will help me to
complete this project. Some of my strengths include being patient, self-motivated, and having a
positive attitude. I’m a fairly patient individual and I always try to look at the bright side of
situations. Being patient and having a positive attitude is important for this project because not
everything will work out perfectly as I envision it to. Developing the skills and knowledge that are
necessary for creating a menu will also require a lot of my patience as it’s not going to happen
overnight. Not only do I need to be patient with myself, but I also need to be patient with the
mentors that will be helping me. They’re not always going to be available to help me and I need
to be patient with them and appreciate the time that they are willing to give. Being self-motivated
is also one of strengths and it’s what allows me to not give-up and to keep going even when
things get difficult for me. There will be moments during this project where I’ll feel like giving up
because, once again, it won’t be easy to create a vegan menu from scratch. However, because
I’m determined and motivated to complete this project to the best of my abilities, I’ll be able to get
through the challenges that I’m faced with.
Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to present your
project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once completed. You may use a
combination of mediums.
Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what will you
research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced at the end of this
project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your proposal.
The first step of my Capstone Project is to research. For the research component, I will be
investigating different vegan recipes that fits into the Japanese cuisine. My main resources to look
at would be blogs/websites that consist of vegan, Japanese food recipes so I can have a better
understanding of what I can expect when I get to the testing/cooking stage. The blog/websites will
also guide me into a direction where I can start critiquing the recipes and make some edits/changes
as I start testing them out. Once I finish my research, I should have narrowed down what recipes I
will be using and what items I expect to be on the menu. So far, I’m planning to have 6-10 vegan
items to be added onto the menu, however, it’s possible that this range will alter throughout the
process. After I’ve figured out what recipes I will be testing/working on, I will need to find a time
where I can go over the recipes with my mom to receive some tips and advice. Since she’s my
mentor, she’ll be able to explain to me some of the techniques that I can use while I cook (i.e.
cutting techniques) and how I can make the procedure work out smoothly. Once I feel like I’m ready
and prepared to start testing the recipes, I will begin to create in the kitchen. I will be using either
the kitchen in my mom’s restaurant or the kitchen in my own home, but it’s more likely that I will be
using the kitchen at my house since it will be more convenient. Moreover, if there are tools or
equipment that I need that are not available in my kitchen, I can simply borrow them from my
mom’s restaurant since it’s a resource that’s available to me. As I start testing out the recipes, I will
list what I can improve on for next time and what I can change about the recipe after every test in
order for the project to progress. I will need to take note of every detail including the taste, visual,
and plating of each time as these are all extremely significant for when the items will be available
for purchase. I will also be asking my mom and her employees for their impressions and feedback
whenever I can as it’s always a good idea to take other people’s opinions into consideration. I can
also ask them about what they think I can do differently for next time and ask them of any questions
that I might have, whether it has to do with cooking techniques and/or how I can improve my plating
skills. Trying to perfect the recipes is what’s most likely going to take the longest time during this
whole process because it’s a big responsibility to create products that people will be purchasing,
and I will be the one who’s responsible when the items are available for purchase. After the items
are perfected, the next step would be to discuss with my mom and her employees about what each
of the items should be priced at. This discussion requires both my mom and her employees to be
involved because it’s important that the items are available to be purchased at prices that are
reasonable for both the customers and for the business. This step requires everyone’s most honest
opinions and reasonings as we determine what the best price points are. Once the prices are
determined, I can begin to craft and build the menu. In order to create the menu, I will need to
decide on names for each product and write a short caption explaining what to expect when
purchasing each item. Along with the names and descriptions, I will also need to take pictures of
some of the products to add onto the menu. I don’t need to photograph every item that will be on
the menu, but I’m planning to take pictures of the items that appear to be the most appealing in
order to catch people’s attention. To take the pictures, I will most likely use my phone with good
lighting and a nice background to make the pictures visually appealing. However, if I have the
opportunity to get my hands on a professional camera, that would be another method to take the
pictures as well. To create the menu, there is a separate company that my mom works with who
design and print the menus. However, I will still be creating a visual/draft of how I’m expecting the
menu to turn out by using Canva or another resource that I can use to create it. This is another step
that requires me to have discussions with my mom because she needs to approve of the names,
descriptions, the pictures, and the appearance of the menu in general. At the end of this project, I
will be using the draft/visual of the menu or hopefully the actual menu (if it gets completed) to
demonstrate my progress and what I was able to achieve. If I don’t end up getting to the point of
starting to create the menu, I will still be able to demonstrate my accomplishments by presenting
profiles of each product/recipe that I’ve been able to perfect during the time I was given, in the
Power Point presentation that I will be creating for this project.
Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and skills you will
need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to access/learn all of the resources
necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail your plans.
The main resources that I will be accessing in order to complete this project are obviously my mom and
her employees, vegan recipe blogs/websites, and other vegan individuals that I might potentially come
across (I.e. Ms. Francis, the Foods teacher). My mom, the employees, and vegan blogs/recipes are the
top resources that I will be using as they will most likely present me with the most relevant information.
Some ‘technology’ that I need in order to complete this project includes a kitchen and kitchen utensils
(I.e. knives, pans, pots, etc.). To actually test out the recipes which I decide on, I need an environment
and the tools that are needed in order for me to create/cook. Two kitchens are available to me, one
being the kitchen at my home and the second being the kitchen at my mom’s restaurant. Although the
kitchen at my mom’s restaurant is a lot more spacious and nicer, I can see myself using the kitchen at
my home more often because it is more convenient for me. Some skills that I will need in order to
complete this project are that I need to be creative, detail-oriented, be able to receive constructive
criticism, and be patient. I’m planning to learn these skills from my mom and her employees as they’re
individuals who have had experience and participated in creating a menu before. My mom is the
number one mentor that I will look up to throughout this project since she is the owner of the restaurant
and has been through this process many times before. Being a business owner for over seventeen
years, she’s already developed these skills through her successes and failures. For the first few tests
with the recipes, I will have my mom monitor me and guide me through the process until I become more
familiar with it. Since the activity is hands on, it will be a lot easier and quicker for me to develop these
skills as I’m a visual learner. Once I start to get more used to the process, my mom will only be present
for the evaluation part where we taste the food and critique what I could do differently for next time.
Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee that might
affect progress with your Capstone Project?
Some project limitations and potential obstacles that might affect the progress with my Capstone Project
include not being able to find a time to meet with all or most of the kitchen employees, not having all the
ingredients needed for a test day (to test a recipe) and receiving varying feedback from different employees.
Not being able to find a time to meet with all or most of the kitchen employees is a potential obstacle
because I would appreciate their feedback whenever I test a recipe because they are also technically my
mentors for this project. The kitchen employees are way more knowledgeable about cooking than I am since
it’s their job and they also know a lot more about Japanese cuisine than I do, which is why I’m hoping to
have a meeting with the employees after the trials where I think I have almost perfected the recipe. However,
finding a time to hold the meetings can be extremely difficult as the employees aren’t always available. They
also have a life, families, and other duties outside of work which can make it a challenge to set specific dates
and times for these meetings. A possible limitation that could affect the progress of this project is if the
ingredients that are needed for the recipes aren’t prepared for the test days. The chances of not being
prepared for a test day are very low as I’m a fairly organized person. However, there could be situations
where my mom and/or I haven’t had the time to buy the ingredients that are needed due to our schedules
not aligning. This will definitely affect the progress of my project as I cannot perfect an item/recipe unless I
continuously go through the trial-and-error process by testing out the recipes. Another potential obstacle that
I could run into is when I’m receiving feedback from the employees and my mom, and they give very
different opinions. Everyone has a different appetite, which makes sense, but I can see this being an
obstacle that I might need to face along the way as the staff voice out their opinions about the items. There
will be moments where some of the employees love a certain item while the other half aren’t really fond of it.
This is something that I need to take into consideration throughout this journey and need to be able to
navigate how I can find a middle ground when two different opinions are presented to me.
Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about your project
that you feel should be included in your project proposal.
• Before I start testing out the recipes, I need to take into consideration that I’ll need to purchase
all of the ingredients that I don’t have or don’t have enough of. I can possibly use ingredients that
my mom has at her restaurant if I just need small amounts of an ingredient, however, getting my
own ingredients for this project will probably be more convenient for the future trials/tests as I
can’t be dependent on my mom’s restaurant to provide all of the materials.
• If I want to use the kitchen at my mom’s restaurant, I will need to be there before the opening
time or after closing time as it would be difficult for me to be using the kitchen while the
restaurant is operating. It would be really inconvenient for the employees who are there if I’m
taking up space in the kitchen while they’re trying to get orders out. This is why it’s probably a
better option to use the kitchen at my house as I’ll have more freedom and I won’t need to worry
about getting in someone’s way.
• When I begin to test out recipes, I will need to plan out specific dates of when I want to be
cooking and I also need to figure out how frequently I’ll be in the kitchen. Planning out the dates
of when I want to test the recipes will allow me to be organized and will give me time to prepare
for these dates. There’s not too much preparation that’s needed other than getting all of the
ingredients, however, scheduling dates of when I will be cooking will give me an idea of my
progress along the way.
• I’ve mentioned this before but, if I want the restaurant’s employees to evaluate the items I create,
I will need to let them know a head of time (at least a week in advance) of when I want them to
try the items. I’m not expecting for all of the employees to be available at the same time,
however, my goal is to get at least 4 employees to show up on the days I want them to evaluate
my work.
• When I begin to create the draft of the menu, I need to ensure that the visuals of the menu I
create is similar to the existing menu. It would be unprofessional and would make the restaurant
look not put together if the vegan menu looks completely different to the main menu, in terms of
the style/theme. Although there’s a company that will be creating the good copy of the menu, I
still want to create a draft of my own to give the company an idea of what I (and my mom) are
expecting the vegan menus to look like
References: Provide references: research, videos, etc. that offer some preliminary research you have
done for your project that shows you are able to access the key information that you will need to be able
to complete this project/work. Your list should be written using correct APA formatting.
Animals, M. F. (2019, February 08). 9 Vegan Sushi Recipes So Good You Can Finally Give Up Seafood.
finally/
Bianca Zapatka, Jeremy, Ellie, Dijananana, Keyla, Alex, . . . Adriana. (2020, December 11). Tofu Katsu
https://biancazapatka.com/en/tofu-katsu-recipe/
Kitahara, L., Fotodor, Andy, Ryn, Desiree, Erin, . . . Nora. (2020, December 31). Vegan Yakisoba
yakisoba/
Konstantinides, A. (2020, September 01). A woman's TikTok shows her turning watermelon into vegan
sushi in just 4 easy steps. Retrieved October 05, 2021, from https://www.insider.com/how-to-make-
vegan-sushi-watermelon-2020-8
Thetastyk, The Tasty K, Says, K., Says, T., Says, J., & Says, D. N. (2019, April 02). Vegan 'Tuna' Nigiri.