Students at Canada's oldest and largest public school of food and hotel arts are preparing to host the royal couple in Montreal on Saturday.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take a cooking class at the Quebec Institute for Hospitality and Tourism before having a specially-prepared meal with Quebec Premier Jean Charest and his wife.

The menu has been in the works for weeks and was conceived by chef Pasquale Vari, an instructor at the school.

"We're going to be like kings in our kitchen," he said. "We're going to treat them like any other guest of honour, but we want to have fun with them."

Vari said the menu is built around Quebec products, such as Charlevoix lamb and duck from the Eastern Townships.

"Ideally we wanted to showcase local Quebec products as much as possible," he said. "I would say maybe 80 per cent of the whole menu is Quebecois."

A group of 24 culinary students will take part in the cooking class with the couple and help prepare the royal meal. It's a lot of pressure for the students, but Vari said he is certain things will go smoothly.

"What we will serve them will be perfect.That I can guarantee you, it will be perfect," he said.

Sweets kept secret

Pastry chef Yves Petit is keeping his dessert plans for the couple under wraps until the big day, but he has revealed some of the ingredients that could be featured.

"Maple and strawberry, because it's the season, maybe cheese also," he said.

William and Kate will are in Ottawa Friday for Canada Day celebrations. They will travel to Montreal on Saturday.