September 15, 2004
Lobdell's savory studies
NMC Great Lakes Culinary Institute debuts teaching restaurant
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
By Monday afternoon, the tables were set, the menu wording nearly finalized and chefs were adding finishing touches to their presentation.
Debuting today for lunch, staff and students in the Great Lakes Culinary Institute are pleased to welcome the public to Lobdell's, A Teaching Restaurant, for some a la carte dining.
Situated on the second floor of the new Great Lakes Campus facility, Lobdell's offers midday dining Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The Northwestern Michigan College facility is named after Wayne and Terry Lobdell, local restaurateurs whose $300,000 gift in 2003 helped make it possible.
Lobdell's theme is An American Bistro and the dining room can seat 74 at tables and another 30 around the bar. In addition to thrice-weekly lunches, Lobdell's has already hosted a number of special events, with more planned for the fall.
Lobdell's features a breathtaking view of West Grand Traverse Bay from floor-to-ceiling windows. Culinary Institute students are crafting cuisine and a dining experience they hope equals this view and satisfies their patrons' other senses.
These 55 second year students will be responsible for all aspects of the restaurant, from hosting, serving and busing in the front of the house to the pantry, grill station, prep station and sauté station in the kitchen. An open kitchen highlights some cooking and prep activities for diners.
Working and learning in Lobdell's boosts the students' real-world and classroom experience in many ways.
"We're spending three days in each [activity] and rotate so we'll be really well rounded," said Jackie Cobb of Traverse City, a veteran of the restaurant industry who returned to NMC last fall for a degree. "To open a restaurant is an experience I'm looking forward to."
Patty Huhta, the front of the house coordinator for Lobdell's, said her students are used to working their magic in the kitchen. This restaurant, however, brings them out of that comfort zone and integrates all aspects of a restaurant into their education.
"A service person can make or break what goes on in the kitchen," she said. "If the students have a better understanding of what goes on in the dining room, they will be better managers in the kitchen."
Chef Joel Papcun, an instructor in the program, designed the initial menu, which includes appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. After seven weeks, the students will take over the menu planning, putting into practice their studies and artistic flair.
"We're really a pretty creative group, our chef really trusts us," Cobb noted. "We're making everything in house: the bakery students are making all our bread and all the desserts. Everybody's involved on some level."
Fred Laughlin, director of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, noted that the teaching facility is a dream for staff and students. The institute's portion of the George and Clara McManus building also includes classrooms, offices for staff and learning labs.
"It has made teaching so much easier," said Laughlin, noting that classes began there in January when the institute moved to the Great Lakes Campus.
"The equipment here is all state-of-the-art so it does a good job of showing students what's out there in the industry," he added. "From here, they can go anywhere they want nationally."
The increased size of the kitchens has also been a boon, a huge step up from the kitchen at the Oleson Center.
"The layout of the kitchen is much better so it accommodates more students," said Laughlin, who joined the Culinary Institute in 1992 and helped guide it from a foodservice program to the current focus on fine dining. "It is much easier to conduct a class more efficiently and you can show state-of-the-art techniques more effectively."
For more information on Lobdell's, A Teaching Restaurant, or to make a reservation for lunch on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., call 995-3120.