Students will determine changes for spring reopening
By Teresa Brummett
Assistant Editor
Bistro to Go will close for the semester on Dec. 9, and you won’t want to miss out on some of the great food they’ve been cooking up over there.
Stepping into the Bistro restaurant, anyone can tell that the students here at Lincoln Land are learning how to cook. The smells coming from the kitchen was enough to make anyone want to sit down for lunch.
With the temptation of star cookies and two types of cakes on the serving trays in the dining room, desserts alone would get anyone’s mouth to watering.
Several student cooks were keeping busy, as they prepared for the afternoon lunch.
Nancy Sweet, director of culinary programs, said, “Spring will be a full-service, sit-down restaurant. The menu is student created, so it won’t be finalized until a few weeks into spring semester, when the class has had a chance to meet and plan. The first half of the semester will be more of a casual bistro, and the second half will transition to fine dining.”
As Sweet spoke, the students were busy preparing for the rush. Soup was being stirred by a student on one side of the room, and other students were setting up cooking trays, with food to be finished off in the oven, so that the mozzarella could melt.
Everyone had a job, and they were getting it done. With student Brian Fisher in his second year, you could tell that he was confident he knew what he was doing in the kitchen.
With over half a dozen people standing in line, two already seated and a couple on their way inside to dine, Bistro students were clearly doing a great job.
Since the program started 20 years ago, many students have gone through this program. Currently, there are 75 students in this program.
But we can’t forget the dishwashers. If it weren’t for them there wouldn’t be any clean dishes to prepare all of these wonderful dishes.
I asked Sweet about any big changes coming to the program, and she replied, “The program recently underwent a big change to model the education off of American Culinary Federation standards.”
So keeping up with trends and new ideas is pretty much a standard when it comes to keeping the industry happy.
While taking this course those who are the students are just that. The title chef is earned through hard work, dedication, and education and it takes time to reach that point. But as you can see it can be done as Sweet said many have gone on to become chefs.
Two former students are working as chef and sous chef at a new wine bar in Carlinville. Another current student works as a pastry chef at Incredibly Delicious here in Springfield.
So before time runs out, try out the Bistro To Go in the Workforce Careers Center.
Teresa Brummett can be reached at [email protected].