UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 2
September 12, 1996
Fine dining: Training restaurant opens in Trabant Center

     Practice makes a management professional is the guiding
principle of the Vita Nova restaurant in the Trabant University
Center, which will provide an applied educational component for
students enrolled in the Hotel Restaurant, Institutional
Management Program.
     "We are excited about this new venture and invite members of
the University community to join us for fine dining at our buffet
lunch or in the evening for an elegant dinner," manager Jim Lynch
said.
     "The focus is on teaching all phases of running a restaurant
from the dining areas to the kitchen, including ordering and
purchasing, checking in food, cooking, serving and cleaning up.
     "By having a teaching facility on campus, we can make sure
that students have a controlled educational experience as they
will rotate jobs during the semester. The University's program
has a solid reputation in the hospitality industry, and this
state-of-the-art facility will provide educational opportunities
for students," he said.
     In addition to Lynch, who is a graduate of Johnson and Wales
University and has an MBA degree (1993) from Delaware, Joseph
diGregorio serves as executive chef and Sharon Brooks-Moses
serves as dining room manager. Both are graduates of the Culinary
Institute of America. The three will serve as instructors to five
daytime classes and one evening class associated with Vita Nova.
     Located on the second floor of the Trabant University
Center, the elegantly appointed restaurant has seating space for
65 and is open to the public for a luncheon buffet 11:30 a.m.-1
p.m., Monday through Friday. Dinner is served 5:30-9 p.m.,
Wednesday through Friday. Opening day for lunch was Sept. 4;
dinner service began Sept. 11.
     Juniors in the "Quantity Foods" course will be involved in
the luncheon buffet, preparing and serving large amounts of
different selections for patrons.
     This class is a prerequisite for the evening "Commercial
Foods" course for seniors where diners will be served at the
table by students. The menu will consist of an appetizer prepared
by students, a specialty salad and a selection of entrees, with
beverages and dessert available. A student wine steward will
circulate among the diners offering a taste for those who wish to
order a glass with their meal.
     Entrees may vary from salmon with pine nuts and basil crust
to ravioli with duck confit and porcini mushrooms.
     The new facility has a state of the art kitchen so that
students can understand the operational implications of using
modern equipment, Lynch said. For example, there is a walk-in
proofer box which controls the leavening of breads and other
yeast products. There is a combination oven that functions as
both a steamer and convection oven.
     Another feature is a sous vide system or thermoliser that
heats prepared foods. "In the hospitality business, there are
requests for room service late at night when most of the kitchen
staff has left, so that familiarity with this kind of preparation
is useful," Lynch pointed out.
     In addition, there is a demonstration kitchen which has been
designed to double as a classroom and a studio for making
videotapes. "We plan to use the power of technology to speed up
the learning curve," Lynch said.
     There are tables and chairs for students to observe live
cooking demonstrations and cameras have been installed for
videotaping lessons. A large white counter is front and center,
flanked by two stoves, where traditional stove tops can be
switched with other equipment such as a frying unit.
     Vita Nova is open to the public. Reservations are suggested
and may be made by calling 831-0500. 
                                              -Sue Swyers Moncure