Student Mark Cornish prepares Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches in the kitchen for Le Bistrette.
Students in Austin Community College’s Culinary Arts Program don’t just learn about the culinary industry – they put their knowledge to work in the college’s state-of-the-art kitchen lab.
Culinary Arts hosts student-run restaurants as part of its curriculum. Summer students are showcasing their skills at Le Bistrette, a lunch café located at Eastview Campus (3401 Webberville Rd., Room 3158).
“Our program is able to replicate exactly what our students will experience in their careers after graduation,” says Chef Sandi Pepper, chair of the Culinary Arts Program. “Le Bistrette gives them experience creating menus, multitasking in a fast-paced kitchen, managing a restaurant, and serving patrons.”
This is the first year Le Bistrette opened during the summer, in order to accommodate increased enrollment.
“This industry is not just stable – we’ve seen a lot of growth,” says Chef Pepper. “A wide variety of students are responding to that, from recent high school graduates to people looking for a change of career.”
Monday, July 23 will be Le Bistrette’s final day of summer operations (view the menu). A dinner bistro will open this fall. The Culinary Arts Program student-run restaurants are open to the public. Gratuities are not accepted, but patrons are encouraged to fill out comment cards to assist students in the learning process.
For more information about ACC’s Culinary Arts Program, visit austincc.edu/info/culinary.
View more photos of Le Bistrette on the college’s Flickr page: summer 2012 and spring 2012.
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By Jane Thorne, English Dept. July 22, 2012 - 1:57 pm
The menu should say “Mondays and Wednesdays” without the apostrophes.
No point in having a distraction from a righteous program & delectable list.
–JHT
By Dr. Lillian Huerta, Director of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement July 24, 2012 - 11:34 pm
Would you be interested in having your culinary arts students do a service-learning project?
By Frank Cronin, Developmental Writing July 30, 2012 - 12:39 pm
I had lunch at EVC four different times this summer. Each meal had something to recommend like the Salmon Cakes, Vegetarian Pizza, and Fried Cupcake Pieces.
This fall the department will be serving dinners a couple of nights a week. I will be attending and enjoying.
By P Norman August 3, 2012 - 9:55 pm
The food looks very tempting, but why are the food handlers not wearing gloves to handle bread, and the other things that the are sprinkling on the food? I see only one person wearing gloves. Thought that would be standard practice.
By Amanda Covington, Culinary Arts Department Assistant August 6, 2012 - 5:35 pm
Thanks Jane! We will make the correction to the menu.
Dr. Huerta, please contact me with more information on doing a service-learning project. I can be reached at x35179.
P Norman, that you for your concern about glove wearing. The State of Texas does not require food service workers to wear gloves when touching ready-to-eat foods under certain circumstances. As long the workers have been trained properly, follow proper handwashing, and taken precautionary measures, they are not required to wear gloves. We document their training and ensure they hold a valid Travis County food handler’s permit. They are also are required to pass the course, Sanitation and Safety, before they can enroll in the class that produces food for Le Bistrette.
We are always happy to address concerns and answer questions!