Owens culinary students teach healthy lesson
7/6/2010The culinary and hospitality students at Owens Community College aren't alone learning how to cook and eat healthy foods. The lucky 30 patrons who attend one of the public luncheons during this summer session learn nutrition as they eat through menus created by the students under the direction of Chef Bill Powell, Owens culinary arts program coordinator. The lunches are held in the Terrace View Cafe adjacent to the working food lab.
To say that the Owens lunches are popular is an understatement. I got the 30th place last Tuesday, and learned there are no more openings through July. But keep in mind, the public will be invited again in mid-October to make reservations. Joan and Robert Shrebe of Perrysburg, my tablemates, are regulars who enjoy the variety of menus as well as the chance to support a student project. It's certainly a deal at $7.50 for a full-course meal served by an eager student who will share his or her goals and high hopes in the food service industry.
Angela Zimmerman was the waitress for our table. A Waite High School graduate who is in her second year in hospitality management at Owens, she has set her goals on employment in a high-volume beach hotel after graduation. Her table service surpassed some that I have suffered through in local restaurants.
Chef Gretchen Fayerweather, a culinary instructor with an impressive resume, served as the host Tuesday. A graduate of Johnson and Wales, Providence, R.I., with a culinary degree and a masters in food service education, Chef Fayerweather says the rewards of teaching are watching the students advance from being scared in the kitchen to gaining confidence and finding jobs.
For training purposes, the Terrace View menus change each week. For one recent luncheon the students in the Healthful Cooking Technique class went international with won ton soup, a Vietnamese summer roll, and duck stir-fry with hazelnut wild rice.
The Shrebes and I agreed that Tuesday's 819-calorie menu was unlike the way we cook at home, but we also were comfortable knowing it was good for us and referred to a table tent for verification. The total fat content was 10 grams, or 11 per cent. The cholesterol count was 65 milligrams; carbohydrates, 125 grams, or 61 percent; and protein, 45 grams, or 22 percent. The sodium count was 1,356 milligrams. Students scored high in lowering cholesterol and sodium counts. The daily goal for cholesterol is 200 milligrams. The healthful-diet rules put a cap on sodium at 2,300 milligrams.
A dollop of saffron coulis topped smoked tomato soup. An herb-crusted chicken fillet shared the main dish with black-eyed peas and spinach. Pernod, a licorice-flavored liqueur, was an interesting seasoning choice for sauteed spinach. Angela explained the corn bread was made without salt and sugar. It was served without butter.
The grand finale was icy lemon sorbet with champagne. The students dolled up the colorless sorbet with fresh whole raspberries.
"Eat a rainbow every day," was the explanation for the tomato soup. Make red fruits and vegetables part of your daily intake, the students suggest. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant said to help prevent Alzheimer's and some cancers. Other sources of lycopene are guava, pink grapefruit, red oranges, apricots, papaya, and watermelon, according to information guests received.
Guests were reminded that chicken was selected because it is lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and that other protein sources are fish, poulry, dried beans, legumes, eggs, and cheese.
Anyone who missed ice cream when the sorbet arrived could enjoy it for its low-fat value, and lactose-intolerant people appreciate that it does not contain milk.
That sorbet is usually prepared with fresh fruits and vegetables is also a plus. One tip: Try beet sorbet sometime.
Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor.
Contact her at:
mpowell@theblade.com.