Vol. 19, No. 11

Nov. 11, 1999

Colonial customs, cuisine
highlight student-run event

Student Tara Murphy offers service with a smile.

It was back to the 18th century when members of the UD student chapter of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA)-all enrolled in the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management Program (HRIM)-held its annual appreciation dinner last month for more than 100 club managers and guests at Winterthur Museum. "This was a first-class event to thank tennis, golf, country club and other managers for their support of students and the opportunities they give them for experience in the hospitality field," Ali Poorani, hotel, restaurant and institutional management and chapter adviser, said. "It also was a fundraiser to send students to the CMAA annual conference, which will be in Atlanta this year. The guests have a great time, the dinner showcases what the students can do, and everyone benefits." Roasted goose, venison, spoon bread, Indian Pudding and cones of lady apples, figs and dried fruits were some of the featured menu items at the colonially themed event. Unique to the 18th century were centerpieces of large vases of celery, a rare vegetable in those days, available only to the wealthy. Students from the chapter were in charge of the event, from planning to cooking and serving to cleaning up. This summer, chapter president Heather McMenamin and vice president Bethany Vangrin carried out research in Winterthur's archives on 18th-century food, place settings, utensils, service and wines. "Abundance best described 18th-century dinners, which were usually served from 2-4 p.m. in the afternoon," McMenamin said. "The first course, which was the main course, featured at least two dozen dishes. We also discovered some different customs. For example, ladies were not supposed to talk to servers directly but to ask men to relay any requests." Student cooks prepared the meal under the direction of Winterthur's executive chef, chopping and cooking the day before and the day of the feast. Tables were set according to colonial custom with mirrors, cherubs, candelabras and the large vases of celery. Students dressed in authentic 18th-century attire served dinner-the men in breeches, white shirts and vests and women in long skirts, aprons and bonnets. The various dishes were placed around the table, and each guest had to serve the dish closest to him or her to the other guests. After each course, everything, including the mirrors and candle-lit candelabras, had to be removed from the table and the top tablecloth was rolled up, revealing another one underneath. The evening began with an hour tour of the Winterthur Museum and a silent auction before dinner. During the dinner, officers of the chapter, McMenamin, Ashley Shumway and Megan Lutes gave short talks, providing historical background about colonial dining and about the state of Delaware. After the guests left, everybody worked together and pitched in for the clean-up. This is the seventh year the event has been held, Poorani said. Winterthur waived its fee, Sysco Foods provided food at reduced cost and other businesses contributed to the silent auction to help defray expenses. Each year has a different theme, Poorani pointed out, and the chapter has won national awards for two of its dinners, competing against such schools as Pennsylvania State and Michigan State universities and the University of Texas and many others, in the Idea Fair held during the CMMA national conferences. The first award-winning dinner was called "Beauty and the Beast of Etiquette and Service Training Program," held at the Greenville Country Club in 1994. The students mixed humor and professionalism, showing the right and wrong way of service, etiquette, decorum and sales when working with the public, and the event received national attention in the Journal of Hospitality Educator. "If the students had not been graduating, we could have taken the show on the road," Poorani said. Last year, "A Scottish Night of Mystery and Intrigue," held at Vicmead Hunt Club, featuring Scottish food and beverages with UD theatre students performing a murder mystery at a golf club, won top honors at the CMMA conference. "We don't know if we will win an award this year, but we're already trying to think of an unusual, new theme for next year to keep the tradition going," McMenamin said. –Sue Moncure