By Scott Allen
The Scene staff
Forest Park students, faculty and staff can eat in a new “restaurant” almost every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Culinary arts training includes practice runs for students, who take turns planning and preparing lunches and dinners and serving them to the public.
“(In their last semester), all students rotate through every position they may potentially work in a restaurant situation,” said Clarke Griffin, instructor of restaurant operations.
Culinary arts major Cynthia Robinson was in charge of the first lunch in the Anheuser-Busch Dining Hall on campus. She called her mock restaurant “A Taste of Cynthia’s.”
The menu included roast chicken with au jus sauce or pork loin with demi–glace, sautéed green beans, boiled sweet carrots and smashed potatoes.
“I think I make some great chicken,” said Robinson, who also works at a new St. Louis restaurant called Butta Rump Tripe.
The cost of culinary arts department meals are $8 for lunches and $10 for dinners. Tickets are sold in the cashier’s office.
“This was my first luncheon,” said diner Emery Bean, a computer technician, who ate at A Taste of Cynthia’s. “I had the roast chicken, and I thought it was very good.”
Counselor Sandra Knight was a repeat customer.
“The food was excellent,” she said. “I come back often.”
Veteran Forest Park chef Robert Hertel was on hand to critique Robinson and her staff.
“The food was great,” he said. “But the service was slow.”
Hertel noted that Robinson had a packed house, although many diners arrived late.
“It was a late start due to rain,” he said. “But dealing with the adversity in restaurants every day is a challenge.”
Robinson’s classmate Kelly Groll thought she did well.
“She was the first of our class, and she stepped up to the challenge,” said Groll, a hospitality management major.
Robinson’s staff also included culinary arts major Theron Pajares, known as “Chef de Partie” at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, who took care of baking.
“I felt it went all right, but we lacked communication between the front of the house and the back of the house, causing problems to arise,” he said. “This is the first (lunch). We learn from our mistakes, and hopefully we will do better next time.”
Culinary arts lunches are served at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and dinners are served at 5 p.m. on Thursdays. The Anheuser-Busch Dining Room is in the Hospitality Students building, near the cafeteria.
Tickets are first come, first serve until meals are sold out.
Diners at Robinson’s lunch included her husband, Alan Chillers.
“It’s a beautiful thing anytime I can put my wife on a pedestal,” he said. “It makes me happy that she’s happy. And they have a wonderful staff.”