Keith Toffling

March 6 kicked off eight weeks of lunches and dinners that are prepared by students in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Meals are served on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with lunch at 12 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m., at the newly renovated 11th floor of Campus Center. The restaurant windows offer a clear view of the UMass campus on both sides of the room, as families, students and staff enjoy food freshly prepared by students of the course Hospitality and Tourism Management 355 titled, “Menu and Quantity Food.”

Each week the restaurant features different managers and servers, all of whom are undergrads enrolled in the course, who meet for lecture once a week on Monday mornings. Each meal time on Tuesday through Thursday is actually considered class time – it’s the student’s production lab. Last night’s manager, UMass senior Courtney Little, said that she’s been prepping for her turn at managing the restaurant for weeks.

“We’re very proud of ourselves,” said Little, who’s studying nutrition and exercise science. “The food’s really good.” According to Little, much of the food they serve is prepared by HT-MGT 355 students, many of whom have never cooked before. “We cook soup, chop vegetables, make bread – like the honey wheat rolls we’re serving tonight.”

Other menu items last night included garden vegetable soup, spinach salad with bacon vinaigrette, pan-fried pork cutlets, glazed turnips, garlic roasted red potatoes, and a sweet ending of carrot cake with cheese frosting. All dinners are five course meals.

On a typical Wednesday night, the restaurant is filled to a maximum capacity of approximately 60 people, which is why call-ahead reservations are necessary. Tickets cost $8 for lunch and $10 for dinner (a price which includes the salad course). Reservations can be made by calling 413-545-0877, or emailing [email protected]. If calling to reserve tickets, the department asks that calls are made between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information including upcoming menus, visit www.isenberg.umass.edu.