Deck:Second year culinary student's final event!
For 42-years now the second-year culinary students have hosted the French Banquet. This is one of the biggest events in their culinary arts program. Every year they sell 250 tickets to this event, all tickets were sold out. Thursday they served 124 guests and the next night they served 126 .
This event is for the second-year culinary students to show off their work for the community. They are tested on how they plan the banquet,come up with the nine course menu, prepare the food, plate presentation , and serve guests. This is a big part of their final grade in the program.
Todd Ketterman, head of the Culinary Arts program, oversees the whole banquet. He let the students plan everything; ordering food, planing the menu, holding meetings, and the execution of the event, while remaining in charge.
Chef Scott Hurley, is an instructor of the program and is in charge of the servers. He keeps the servers going, does the time keeping, and lets them know when to serve the next dish.
Jenna Mottern, a second-year culinary student, chose to lead the class as the sous chef of the banquet.
"We've always known that the banquet was at the end of the year and our biggest event. So, I actually have been thinking about it since winter break. I knew for a while that I wanted to be the sous chef for the banquet," said Mottern.
The French Banquet was held at the Commons Restaurant. Where the students transformed half the restaurant into a fine dining French experience for the guests. Tables were set with fine china and crystal glass ware, with French music playing in the background.
French inspired decor and art pieces were all around. The center piece was fashioned using two wine barrels holding up an old door, with hardware intact. Atop of which, held a cutting board and two bread baskets with a multitude of different, delicious looking french breads. Below, were colorful floral arrangements, as well as portraiture that stuck to the french theme.
By the entry doors sat two aged windows that seemed as if they came from a cottage on the outskirts of Paris. A dark wood hutch held ceramic tea kettles with floral designs, an old world clock and signs. Everything seemed suitable for a fine French Cafe'.
The servers, were first-year culinary students. They were dressed in all black with colorful ties. When it came time for the first dish to be served they were all ready and able. Chef Hurley was like a conductor and the servers like his orchestra, keeping in tune and never missing a note.
The first-year culinary students work as servers on the first night, then in the kitchen on the second night.
"I want to be a chef, food is what I surround myself with. Someday I want to move to a nice restaurant and maybe one day own my own restaurant," said Rachel Moll, a first-year student.
In the kitchen there was a buzz as the guests arrived and were seated. A sea of white hats pushing to plate the second course as the first course, the "Amuse", a small strawberry-balsamic sphere and herb goat cheese topped with basil and smoked black sea salt, was already on the guests plates. With the Hors d'oeuvre to be served in just minutes.
Servers weaved in and out of the restaurant, some carrying wine to fill more glasses and others carrying the dishes back to be cleaned. When a new course was to be served the white hats and the black suits all met in the scramble area. The three head chefs acting as their dispatch, instructing as the students worked at a furious pace.
Even seemingly frantic and chaotic, these men and women all were very collected.They maintained their duties like they had been handling this sort of stress for years.
The entire night never had a complaint from the guests. Instead, the Cafe' stayed alive and energetic. Even when a few glasses were accidentally dropped the chatter was never interrupted.
Verne Peterson of Albany, who was dining at the event said,"We have been to two of these now and they are great! We also go to the Satiam restaurant for their wonderful lunches."
At the end of event all of the students, first-year and second-year came out to be introduced to the guests. Mottern made a speech. She introduced all the students by their titles and thanked them for all their hard work. She then thanked all of the guests for coming.
All of the guest clapped as the students took their bow.
"I'v learned a lot, and I think one of the coolest things we do are these events. Were not just behind closed doors, were out in the community. People know what we are doing and they can be involved in it," said Mottern.
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