Most people wouldn't even try planning, preparing and serving a five-course meal for 70. But, for students in New Mexico State University's hotel, restaurant and tourism management program, it's a requirement. This spring, students in the quantity food production and restaurant operations classes are serving up 12 dinners with different ethnic themes to the public. Instead of a typical class, where a professor lectures and students take notes, students experiment, learn from their mistakes and create a meal. Students learn not just how to cook, but how to lead a kitchen, a dining room and manage a meal so that 70 people can come to dinner and everybody will go home happy and feel good about having been at our dinner.
Students work in teams of four or five as managers to come up with a theme for their meal.
Then they choose and test recipes. Once the menu is determined, they are ready to prepare a dinner. During preparation and serving, the managers supervise a group of 10 other student workers. So far Thai, Mediterranean and Lowland Celtic dinners have been served at the Corbett Center Student Club. Future dinners include southern Italian, Native American, Indonesian and Cajun meals.