For about an hour-and-a-half on Wednesday, it was both the best restaurant and the best classroom in town.
About 40 Columbus dignitaries (if you count the media members present) were invited to share a special luncheon at Shattuck Hall, home of Mississippi University for Women’s Culinary Arts Institute.
The four-course “Harvest Luncheon” was prepared by Chef Chris Ellis, aided by 20 first-year culinary arts students, many of whom are enrolled in Culinology program, a joint effort between The W and Mississippi State University. They study food science at MSU and food arts at MUW.
The luncheon consisted of an appetizer (crawfish bisque with applewood smoked bacon and toasted organic pumpkin seeds), a salad (kale, shaved Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, candied pecans, blue cheese crumbles and vinaigrette dressing), an entree (Sous Vide Quail with sauce chasseur and roasted root vegetables) and dessert (Honeycrisp Apple Biscuit Pudding featuring cinnamon biscuits with caramel sauce).
None of these items are on the dollar menu at McDonald’s, last time I checked.
At this point, I should make an admission:
Years ago, I was one of a small group who regularly accompanied The Arizona’s Republic’s food columnist as she made her stealth visits to restaurants throughout Phoenix for her restaurant reviews. The idea was that having four or five people with her allowed her to order more of the menu. I was not her best partner in this effort, though. “You’re not much help,” she noted. “You like everything.”
Even so, Wednesday’s luncheon was excellent, the type of fair any fine dining restaurant would be proud to serve.
Perhaps as impressive is the program itself.
Ellis, one of the eight inaugural graduates of MUW’s Culinary Arts Institute in 2000, has been back at The W since March and serves as project coordinator for the The W’s CHEW (Cook Healthy/Eat Well) program. In that capacity, he travels the state, teaching how to prepare healthy delicious foods.
On Wednesday, he shared that expertise with the novice chefs, all of whom are just weeks into their formal culinary training.
During the luncheon, most students served as food runners and servers, but they also got a chance to watch and participate in every aspect of the meal service.
“They are just starting out,” Ellis said. “They have to learn everything from setting up the tables, to food prep, plating skills, serving, the whole range — everything that goes into preparing and serving a high-quality meal.”
Much has changed in the 15 years since Ellis graduated from The W.
We think of food much differently today than we did 10 or 20 years ago.
With a great emphasis on fresh, locally produced foods, the emphasis is not only on taste, but on a healthy diet.
But the changes go well beyond that. Cooking has always been a popular form of expression, but today it seems almost everyone is getting into the act. The meals we prepare are generally more sophisticated, nuanced and its appeal defies most demographics. Moms and grandmas cook, but today, kids and dads and grandpas are at ease in the kitchen too.
Ratings for TV food channels are off the chart. Personally, I find myself watching The Food Network more often that ESPN. That’s pretty amazing.
Programs such as the The W provide are attracting more and more students. Some will, no doubt, go on to a career as prominent chefs or restaurant owners and managers.
In an area of the country where cooking used to consist of figuring out how to fry something, the artistry and craft and beauty of preparing a meal is something of a marvel.
Today, we are discovering tastes and techniques from all over the world and how they can enhance and complement the fresh food we find in our own communities.
The world of food has never been more exciting.
I could go on, but I find that I am suddenly hungry again.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected]
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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