KNOXVILLE — In honor of the Vols’ and Lady Vols’ participation in the NCAA tournaments, the Ready for the World Café is celebrating March Madness the week of March 22 with its international buffet and a raffle for a basketball autographed by coach Pat Summitt.
The menu includes pork chops with apple chutney; tilapia puttanesca, which is a spicy sauce made of garlic, onions, anchovies, chili peppers, black olives and capers; chicken piccata; wild rice with mushrooms; garden vegetable soup; cheesy broccoli casserole; and tossed greens with gorgonzola, walnuts and pears.
The Ready for the World Café is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.
Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out.
Faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s new UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount at the café.
Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan and operate the café. They take turns serving as the café manager. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.
The café manager for March 22-25 is Chris Hegseth, of Knoxville, a junior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. He grew up in Sevierville and has worked at Dollywood’s Grandstand Café for five years. He also has worked at special events, including the Cystic Fibrosis Wine on the Water fundraiser. His goal is to own his own restaurant.
Hegseth has dubbed the days of the week “Sweet 16 Monday,” “Elite Eight Tuesday,” “Final Four Wednesday” and “Championship Thursday,” and he says anyone who eats at the café during the week can enter the raffle to win the autographed basketball. The drawing will be held on Thursday.
The café also will feature live jazz on Thursday.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)