A unique dining experience for 70 guests will serve as a final exam for a class of second-year Culinary Management students at Niagara College.
On October 21, a class of more than 20 second-year Culinary Management students will face the heat in the kitchen as they prepare a five-course sit-down dinner for guests of an inaugural ticketed event dubbed the ‘Culinary Arts Final Exam Dinner’ to be held in the Benchmark dining room, at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
A limited number of tickets are available for the dinner event (first come, first served), which will be the first public-facing student dinner from the College’s School of Culinary Arts and the new academic-focused foodservice model from its new Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Division, since they were announced this fall.
“This will be like many top-notch events that are presented at Niagara College,” said Craig Youdale, Dean of the Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Division. “The guest will experience what the students about to graduate are capable of and will have an amazing meal and experience.”
The event is part of a Contemporary Food Production course for Culinary Management students in their final term. Students in the class, taught by Chef Professor Olaf Mertens, have been behind several culinary pop-ups at the College since September.
The course curriculum was modified to facilitate a ‘live action’ exam which equips students with the practical experience of planning, preparing, and serving their dishes in a banquet setting, in real time, with real customers eating and critiquing their food. Their professors will oversee the students and evaluate them throughout the evening.
The students will be graded by their professors – and will be assessed on sanitation, organization, timing, cooking and plating techniques, and food safety. Dinner guests will also be invited to provide feedback at the event via customer surveys.
“This is a fantastic way to assess students,” said Youdale. “The event gives them real life experience working with service staff and customers waiting for their meal. It goes to the heart of our desire to create applied learning.”
Gaile Dianne Cunanan, who is originally from Eastern Samar, Philippines and currently lives in Niagara Falls, will be working with a group of students on salad and desserts for the event, is tasked with creating ‘candy tofu’ – an Asian style crispy tofu made with Hoisin mixed with ginger, garlic and lime, which will be toasted, glazed and garnished with the salad.
“I’m looking forward to being able to execute this event properly,” said Cunanan, noting that serving food at the right time and right temperature, pleasing presentation and taste, as well as the ability to work effectively as a team will be important. “I was delighted to learn about this final exam because it will put all the information we have learned in this College to the test. We shall learn how to handle circumstances like this in the kitchen … demonstrating to us what daily life in a kitchen is really like.”
Dollar Thakar who moved from India to Niagara Falls to attend the College, said that the event not only helps prepare students for their aspiring careers but will be particularly meaningful for students.
“As a class who started our course in COVID-19 times, it means a lot to us … this will be the first time we have such a large, on-campus event as a part of our curriculum,” said Thakar, who will be making salad and dessert with his team. “It will be highly beneficial because we will get to show our skills on a larger scale and, as culinary students, we will get to experience a banquet service of a fine dining restaurant.
Thakar noted that while students have been gaining hands-on experience to develop their culinary skills throughout the program, the new course gives them an opportunity to use those skills in new ways, such as creating plant-based dishes alongside the conventional and, best of all, creating and serving food to people.
“I am excited to meet all the guests and get their feedback on our food,” said Thakar.
With the new division creating new synergies between different areas of study, Hospitality students will also gain experience at this event and will be on site to serve guests.
Tickets
Guests will enjoy a five-course, sit-down, full-service dinner prepared by culinary students, along with two glasses of wine.
Tickets are limited (70 seats) and are $99 plus tax. A portion ($10) from each ticket will be donated to the United Way Niagara. Guests must be 19 years of age to attend. Purchase tickets or view menu and event details via Eventbrite.
Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Division
The dinner event is on the roster of many exciting initiatives that were introduced this fall by NC’s new Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies Division. Find out what’s next on the menu, and get the latest information upcoming events which includes culinary pop-ups, student-led dinner events, and a traditional holiday market, visitniagaracollege.ca/culinaryarts/services/.
