Grace Hooley | Echo
Love is in the air, but it is also in students' stomachs as Chef's Table with Creative Dining Services is putting on an event named "To the Heart, Through the Stomach."
This event will take place Friday, Feb. 22, from 5-7 p.m. in Breuninger Hall's kitchen. Six couples signed up to experience this night with their significant other, and Rebekah Smith, marketing coordinator of creative dining services, said that this was the quickest an event has filled up for Chef's Table.
"As with any of our Chef's Tables, we host these events to give students a chance to have a different dining experience on campus than the normal DC or Zurcher Commons fare," Smith said. "It usually features different types of cuisine not typically served in the DC, a chance to learn about new foods or cooking techniques, and it gives the students a chance to meet new people."
Students will cook for their significant other alongside a chef. The itinerary consists of: hors d'oeuvres, main meals made with the chef, formal place setting training and a dessert made by the pastry chef and the six women. The night will also include games and giveaways for the couples, and there will be some surprises as well.
The staff considered a few different cliches as titles of this event, but after remembering the old saying: "the way to a man's heart is through the stomach," Smith and the team decided to name the event "To the Heart, Through the Stomach."
"From there, the event has blossomed into what I believe will be an amazing event for students," Smith said. "Since the saying can be true for girls as well (I too love food), we also will have the girls cook for their men."
There have been some students interested in doing a Chef's Table, so the team believes this will be a good event to start off the semester. Currently, the couples involved in the event represent a wide array of campus, coming from from Gerig, Breuninger, English, Samuel Morris, Wengatz and Olson halls. There is also an extensive waiting list in case there are last minute cancellations.
The Associate Director and current chef, Nathaniel Malone, is excited to express his knowledge and love for cooking with the students. This is what fuels Chef's Table and the events that occur on campus from Creative Dining Services.
"We are constantly trying to come up with new interactive Chef's tables with the goal of engaging with students about food in a way that most people would never get to experience," Malone said. "Educational, innovative and just plain fun discussions and cooking."
Smith hopes that the students involved fully engage and enjoy this Valentine's Day experience. While the team is excited for the event, they are aware that this might cause some conflicts with individuals trying to use the Breuninger Hall kitchen. They apologize for any inconvenience this causes for students.
While "To the Heart, Through the Stomach" is a filled event, Chef's Table plans on having more activities and events that engage students in the future. In the meantime, they welcome these six couples to the heart, through the stomach.
