K
NOXVILLE—Fine Italian cuisine will be featured at the Ready for the World Café on Tuesday, March 27.
The Ready for the World Café, which is sponsored by US Foods, operates from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Each luncheon will consist of intermezzo, or small appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Advance tickets will be sold for each of the ten luncheons, and capacity is fifty to sixty diners. Cost will be $12, and the faculty-staff discount applies. For tickets, see Marcia in 110 Jessie Harris Building or call 865-974-6645.
The Italian luncheon menu is:
Appetizer: Arancini (A staple in Sicilian households, these deep-fried risotto balls are stuffed with prosciutto and peas and seasoned with Italian spices.)
Salad: Panzanella (Typical of the Tuscan region, Panzanella is a mixture of fresh garden vegetables and chopped pieces of Italian bread tossed with an olive oil and red wine vinaigrette.)
Entrée: Braciole with polenta cakes and escarole (Served throughout Italy, these thinly rolled slices of beef are filled with a savory stuffing and simmered in a tasty tomato sauce. It will be served alongside succulent polenta cakes and garlic sautéed escarole.)
Dessert: Blood orange gelato in an almond Florentine cookie (Said to have originated in Florence, this creamy gelato is flavored with fresh blood oranges and served in a delicate, almond-infused Florentine cookie.)
Luncheon dates and themes for the remainder of the semester are:
- Tuesday, April 3—France
- Tuesday, April 10—Liberia
- Tuesday, April 17—Persia
- Thursday, April 26—Germany
The Ready for the World luncheons are produced through collaboration of HRT 445 (the Advanced Food Production and Service Management class), the UT Culinary Institute, and Pellissippi Culinary Institute.
Students enrolled in HRT 445—taught by Clinical Assistant Professor Donetta Poisson—will work as general managers, dining room attendants, assistant kitchen managers, dining room managers, and dining room service employees. They will be responsible for the execution of the dining experience, managing staff, help in menu planning, preparation, participate in cooking, quantification, cost analysis, service during meal time, marketing of the event, and customer satisfaction activities.
This week’s student café manager is Christina Persico of Hurlock, Maryland, a senior in HRT.
“I grew up in restaurants; both my parents owned separate restaurants, so I always worked in them,” she said. “I loved working in restaurants, but I want to get out of the food service industry for a little while. I’d like to stay in the live entertainment business, maybe festival planning or venue management.”
Pellissippi State Community College Culinary Institute students do most of the food preparation. This week’s kitchen managers are Candace Gilbert, Tiffany Bishop, and Taylor Arden.
Gilbert said she’s wanted to be a chef since she was 16 years old. She loves throwing parties and cooking for family and friends and would like to start a food truck (mobile restaurant) business in Knoxville.
Bishop said she wants to own a club or restaurant someday.
Arden said she has always loved baking brownies and has learned a lot while taking culinary classes.
“I still have much to learn,” she said.
Other international events taking place this week include the International Dance Competition, which will be held at 7:00 p.m. on March 28 in the University Center Auditorium.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-771-9127, ablakely@utk.edu)