It was a triumphant return for the student-run bistro program at Samuel Robertson Technical (SRT) last week, with reservations for the three-course meals selling out in only 10 minutes.
Chef Mike Steele is once again leading the Professional Cooking Level 1 program, which has 13 students this year who are responsible for putting out more than 100 three-course meals each week.
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“They have been hard at work learning the new skills required to be beginning cooks in the industry,” said Steele.
“We had a soft opening last week for the teachers and assistants, and this week is our first week of opening the Bistro to the public.”
Each week there’s an entirely new lineup of food, with the menu posted on the program’s Facebook page at 5:45 p.m. every Friday.
Reservations are required to pick up one of the freshly made meals, which can be obtained by emailing samuelsbistro@gmail.com with “Dinner Date” in the subject line and the person’s phone number, amount of required meals, and entree selection for each, included in the body of the message.
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On Nov. 10, the first public menu was released online and reservations came flooding in right away, explained Steele.
“Unfortunately, we had to turn away over 250 people because we just can’t prepare or sell that much food in the service window time we have,” he said. “It is a good problem to have, but as my wife says, it is like trying to get a Taylor Swift ticket these days.”
The meals are handed out on Wednesdays or Thursdays and cost $16 each.
“With food prices being so high, it is the best deal in town, and the news has spread quickly.”
More details are available at the VCC Culinary Arts at SRT Facebook page.