3 Things We're Cooking Up for the End of the Semester

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Hi all! It’s quite busy around here and I wanted to let you know about a few of the things we have going on around campus.

In January, we started doing Foodie Tours of each of our dining locations. These are in depth tours with our nutritionist Christine Clark and me. We select a dining location and go station-by-station talking about the back stories of how are menus are created, where we source many of our products from, and, in some cases, the science behind some of the things we do. We have received great feedback from the tours we have done and anticipate continuing this initiative next semester. They are open to all students, faculty, and staff and are – of course – free!

We have also been busy planning for our upcoming Lobstah Night. We are happy to say that we will be working with Red's Best to obtain the 1,000 lobsters needed for this event. It is certainly one of the highlights of the school year so be sure to get to Stetson West early on Tuesday night!

Our last event of the semester will be our 16th(!) annual Educate Your Palate. I wish I could tell you more about the theme of this year's event but then you wouldn't be surprised! Seeing how International Village has been transformed when you walk in on the night of the event is definitely a "wow" — if you have been to EYP in the past you know what I mean. This is a can't-miss event so please put Thursday, April 20 on your calendar. As chefs, we love this event because – as sort of a culmination of a year's worth of culinary trends – we get to create a menu that is unlike anything you've seen all year. Additionally important to us is that even though the event is held at International Village it is a collaborative effort with our culinary teams from International Village, Stetson, and Curry. Working together as one large team is always very exciting for us.

I hope to see you at these extraordinary upcoming events!
Tom

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