GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) – Nothing says romance like a fancy dinner paired with a glass of wine.
Colorado Mesa University Tech held their 7th annual Valentines Dinner and Wine Tasting. The dinner was put on by CMU Tech’s Culinary Arts program and the Viticulture and Enology program. Many community members dined on five gourmet courses with curated wine pairings all prepared by the college students and faculty.
“The students don’t get many opportunities to do a five-course meal like this. So those that volunteer are really seeing what goes into doing a white tablecloth multi course dinner,” Wayne Smith, the Associate Technical Professor of Culinary Arts at CMU Tech, said.
Students get to learn the planning, the execution of courses and the coordination of all the different chefs and people involved.
Olivia Linnebur is a culinary arts and hospitability management student who has helped at this event for several years.
“Dinners like this are so important for building these students resumes as they go into the industry after a 2-year program,” Linnebur said.
Planning for the event started months ago. This year was the first time they served wine made by the viticulture students. The menu was designed based on the wine created for the event. The wine makers, culinary and pastry chefs all work closely to create a theme and a menu for the event. This year’s theme was Itameshi cuisine, a fusion of Japanese and Italian flavors.
Hosting an event like this gives students an opportunity to work in a fast pace setting and prepare them for life after graduation.
“This is a real-world experience for the students. They are feeding actual customers in a dining room who have high expectations. They’ve paid top dollar for this meal and so there’s no excuses. We have to do it right,” Smith said.
The community responded well to this year’s event.
“Diners are very enthusiastic. They both love food and they love students. They love supporting our program,” Smith said.
Linnebur said her favorite part is talking to the guests.
“It’s getting to go and interact with the guests, getting to see the smiles on their faces from the food that I made,” the student said. “We’re actually cooking all of the meals here, but we actually get to go and serve as well. So, getting to see the smiles and the excitement on their faces. That’s what makes it all worth it.”
The culinary program will also hold their next community event on April 26 at their campus lawn. The event will be larger, family style and more casual.
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