By Kevin Ellul

Creating a menu takes a lot of time and thought as you need to be creative, articulate, and generally simplistic. Saying this, your customers should be able to read your menu with no problem; articulating vocabulary to the simplest form for better understanding. Throughout this article, I will discuss the components of creating a menu, from cuisines and themes to tastes, textures, and the initial development of a dish and menu.

Cuisine
Creating a menu entails that you have a determined cuisine or a diversity of cuisines that work well together. There are many cuisines in the world, with few being first choices. These include: French, Italian, Chinese, and Spanish. Many chefs modernize traditional dishes aimed towards a cuisine; today they tend to set a theme and create their dishes using research, seasonality, and creativity.

Theme
Many restaurant owners theme their restaurants to attract customers. Look at Olive Garden; A very popular Italian influenced restaurant with a set house menu. Theming restaurants and menus are important because it €™s what attracts the customers to dine. Themes also include seasonality- specifically using ingredients available within certain seasons. Themes can be anywhere from countries, certain dates, or focused on one specific ingredient (ex. Mushrooms). Courses are also considered a €œtheme €- primarily pertaining to tasting menus (a multiple coursed menu). Many restaurant €™s offer tasting menus, which are constantly changing, or a house menu, which is consistently the same every day.

Tastes and Textures
Think of tastes and textures as the initial food and ingredients. For example, a carrot could exemplify a texture; using it either raw for a crunchy texture or cooked for a soft texture. To a chef, tastes and textures are a big part of menus. Incorporating as much flavor and texture in a dish creates an excellent dining experience €¦ for the consumer and the chef. One interesting factor is color; color reflects taste as you eat with your eyes first. If you create a dish that has a neon yellow sauce, you would think of lemon; however, it might not be €”which creates an interesting reaction to the mind and palate of the consumer.

The human palate has a total of five senses of taste, which are: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour, and Umami. Each taste has a different effect on flavors- and some even enhance flavors, such as sweet, salty, and sour.

€œSweet €
Sweetness will cut through acidity and salt and take the edge off of bitterness. Sweetness- specifically meaning €œsugar €, adds a certain depth to a dish, which draws out certain flavor enhancers.

€œSalty €
Salty, one of the most important tastes. It increases depth and enhances flavors within a dish. Just as sugar, salt cuts the unwanted bitterness out of ingredients and draws out moisture within food; therefore, creating more of a moist texture. Salt isn’t the only €œsalt € derivative; soy sauce, cheese, or olives can be used to induce a salty punch.

€œSour €
Sour, primarily acid, is the second most important taste to use while creating a dish. Almost every dish is better with some form of acid- or sourness. Vinegar, lemon juice, soured dairy, or even wine can be used to create a presence of acid within a dish. However, if too much sourness is present, Sugar and salt will help balance it out. The best part about all of these tastes is BALANCE. Balancing tastes and flavors is what a chef loves to do.

€œUmami €
This taste is one that is always there, but is never realized. Umami is described as a savory taste. Mushrooms, steak, cheese, and even tomatoes are of umami decent. The word, Umami, derives from Japanese language, meaning; Pleasant Savory Taste. The taste is really associated with glutamates found in foods containing proteins. A form of umami can be added to foods by using glutamic acid created into a €œpowder € known as MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).

€œBitter €
Believe it or not, all bitter foods aren €™t bad, especially if they are properly balanced. Bitterness derives mainly from leafy greens; however, it can also be found in herbs, spices, dark chocolate, olive oil, and even coffee. The benefits of bitter food are: healthy antioxidants, detoxification properties, and essential vitamins and minerals.

Textures
Textures are very distinctive to a dish €™s creation. Texture has a variety of meanings; assume every ingredient as a texture- whether it’s fish, nuts, or ice cream. Cooking techniques pertain to textures as well; sautéing, a high temperature cooking technique, condones a Maillard reaction. It €™s a reaction occurring from mainly any food by the means of browning and caramelization of amino acids and natural sugars occurring within. This reaction isn’t much about just color; however, presumably the flavors associating with it, a roasted-nutty hue.

While developing a dish, one must think about flavor, color, and texture €”as I’ve mentioned. Proper textures, even so, multiple textures, are important to include in EVERY dish. Some components to remember while constructing your masterpiece are: The Main Component (use as a texture), Sauce (sauce, liquid-like texture), Garnish (whichever texture resembles garnish €”a powder can be used as a garnish), Earth (can be similar to garnish, earth resembles herbs, nuts, fruit, vegetables, starch, or edible greens and flowers), and lastly Crunch/Crispy (a crispy or crunchy ingredient, including a crumble). Other textures, which are mostly seen today are silky, spongy, airy, flaky, and gelatinous. These are the best textures for more modern and gastronomic dishes today.

Description is Key; Price is Everything!
Descriptive words and adjectives are what sells the dish! Make sure you are descriptive within your menu and recipes. This will attract the customers to dishes of their likings. No one likes to read, €œfish fillet with skin €, but a €œcrispy skinned fillet of fish €, will sell and look better on a menu. Just as description is key, the price of the dish, finalizes the sale. While creating your menu, efficiently cost your dishes and recipes by the amount of ingredients residing on the plate. Too high of prices might steer your customers away, too little will lose you money.

Developing Recipes and Dishes
The development of recipes is what forms the dishes residing on menus. It €™s what composes each dish to the tee, and informs you of everything from a splash of milk, to a dash of salt. A recipe consists of an ingredients section and a procedure section. Therefore, creating a dish isn €™t easy, everything within the article previously mentioned should be included, as well as, plating style, and the plate itself. Weight, Grams, Ounces, Tablespoons, and Cups are amongst the vocabulary for measurements of recipe development. Vocabulary is very important in a recipe, it should be simple and easy to understand. Chefs generally have their own ways of honing their skills, either creating a dish by blending ingredients or drawing up sketches of their ideas, then executing them.

Here is an example of how to create a dish, then execute your idea, or recipe.

My idea is to create an Haute Cuisine inspired dish; this means it is of French Influence and ultimately of several courses. This dish has modern elegance and fine dining stature. The season is Fall, thus a Fall tasting menu is in order. I will be highlighting seasonal ingredients within my dish, focusing on farm fresh/locally grown and foraged organic ingredients.

The menu is themed €œJourneying into Fall € (captivating fall flavors, colors, and ingredients as the fall season comes closer to an end). I will be representing the second course on a four course menu I €™ve created. I have looked into local seasonal ingredients; I have chosen Trout, Lemons (available year round), Cranberries, Parsnips, and Tarragon. Now that I have my ingredients, the possibilities are endless in what to create with them. I have decided to name my dish: Lemoned Trout.

My question now is, what components do I add to this dish? The Trout will be descaled, filleted, and portioned into 3 oz. skin-on fillets. Next, I will make a compound butter, which is a flavored and aromatic butter and this will consist of Lemon Juice, Zest, Tarragon and Salt. The trout will be sautéed and basted in the lemon-tarragon butter which will coat the fish with an abundance of flavor and reflect crisp, crunchy skin. Now, that I have my main protein thought out, I now need to create the rest of the dish with elements, textures, and flavors. Thinking about components, I’ve decided to Blister Cranberries, making it similar to a cranberry relish, creating a thinned puree of Parsnips (Parsnip Broth), and developing a deep green- flavorful oil of tarragon. After the fish is perfected, the oil is finished, the puree is complete, and the cranberries have blistered; I’ve planned and drawn out my dish in entirety. For my plating, I have picked a shallow bowl with a larger rim. I will place the hot puree/broth onto the bottom of the bowl, spreading it into a thin circle, coating the bottom. Next, I will add about one to two tablespoons of the blistered cranberries directly in the middle of the puree, this will be room temperature. After that, I will add the hot, butter drenched, crispy skinned trout on top of the berries, the skin side will face up- towards the customer. Lastly, the dish will be finished with a slight drizzle of tarragon oil. For Garnish, I wish to add red mustard green frills, and sea salt.

I have created my dish, as well as, an entire menu, you can view it here:

FIRST COURSE

Pickled Fall Salad
Pickled Sharon Fruit, Roasted Beets, Frisse, Candied Pistachios, Coriander Yogurt

SECOND COURSE

Lemoned Trout
Lemon Butter, Blistered Cranberries, Parsnip Broth,
Tarragon Oil

THIRD COURSE

Sunflower Chicken
Sunflower Seeds, Sunchokes, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Potato Gnocchi,
Sage Brown Butter, Sunflower Oil

FOURTH COURSE

Deconstructed Apple Pie
Spiced Apple, Walnut Powder, Caramel Sauce, Broken Sugar, Pate Brisse,
Whipped Cream, Apple Chip, Cinnamon Ice Cream

This menu has been executed by myself and a team of students within the Great Chefs Restaurant here at Walnut Hill College. The event was a wine dinner challenge consisting of these four courses and eight wines to taste.

Walnut Hill College presents a Wine Dinner Challenge every month, take a look to see what’s in store for the future and Click Here!

You can also view the Great Chefs Menu here as well!

-Student Leader, Kevin Ellul
Culinary Arts, Class of July 2017

By Kristine Alfes

Every time I go out, meeting either family, new friends, or talking to anyone else outside of school, I get asked the same question constantly: €œwhat restaurant are you working at now? € It becomes awkward when I have to correct them and say that I €™m working for a catering company and right as the conversation begins to flow again, the realization comes that not everyone knows about the careers outside of line work and the restaurant scene. As incoming cooks in training, chefs-to-be, and everywhere in between in the community that is Walnut Hill College, we all had to write an entry essay describing our future endeavors post graduation of the program. Mine was to be an €œExecutive Chef of a restaurant € but I soon learned that the restaurant scene wasn €™t where I belong, and trying to be an executive in anything I €™m not passionate about won €™t end too well. I soon then turned my mind to focus on private work, catering, and eventually to comprehensive education for the hospitality field (after much needed inspiration from the Chefs here).

Full-service restaurants make up about 47% of the food service industry; it is then followed by limited service restaurants (fast food, cafeterias, etc) that make up about 36% of the industry, according to a study conducted by Oregon State in 2015. The other 14% is divided around various other careers like catering, research and development, private client, artisan products, food distribution, industry education, and more. The majority of Culinary Arts programs touch base on developing skills for a line cook, which isn’t a bad thing at all but as time moves on, career moves may change and questions will come about on €œwhat the next move will be? €

Here is a closer look into the 14% that makes up the rest of the food service industry:

Catering

Catering is drastically different from the line, and this form of food service is a good outlet for those who are not into the long nights, rush (or lack there of, depending on the night), and looking to constantly change up their cooking style and profile. This is a career where everything is done in such a vast quantity, and is different from typical line work. Catering companies serve parties from seventy, to two-hundred, to even a thousand people at events like weddings, birthdays, and fundraisers, all in one night. In this type of job, dishes consist of many little parts of a whole image, and most of the time, the menu is not as likely to be repeated. It is a different type of adrenaline rush as everything is done all at once and then once the night is over, you feel great.

Research and Development (R&D)

R&D is used by large corporations such as Campbell €™s Soup, Chili €™s, and companies alike. In this field, the Food Technologist is constantly developing new products for the company to sell. They also make sure food is produced legally, safely, and of the best of quality. If a chain restaurant has new specials, these were tested by a Chef of R&D and then sent the product recipe to the restaurants. This also includes a large amount of science, because the FT conduct experiments, samples, and designing new cooking processes. What if you want to make a line of barbecue sauces made out of red peppers? Develop it.

Culinary Educator

Chef Instructors are the people we look up to as a culinary or hospitality student. This isn’t just specific to college level €¦instructors also teach culinary and pastry in technical high schools. Instructors create meaningful lessons that help students gain hands-on experience, while also developing their professional outlook in the industry. This person needs to be able to not only teach someone at any level, but also be able to inspire the next generation of chefs. A chef instructor even has the opportunity to become certified in their profession through organizations like the ACF. This is a career where learning is always an option, and sharing knowledge is an absolute.

In conclusion, I €™m not saying that working in a restaurant is wrong as everyone has their niche. But, there is more to the food service and hospitality industry than most of us are exposed to. These jobs can be applied to every major here at Walnut Hill College, and with some trial and error, we fall into the places we fit best. Check out the degree program here!

-Kristine Alfes, Student Leader
Culinary Arts, Class of July 2017

By Daniel Singer

If you have ever been a student here at Walnut hill College, you have or will have our Restaurant Operations class (unless of course, you €™re a pastry student). This is the class where the Management and Culinary students cross train in the student run restaurants in Front of the House and Back of the House. Practicing techniques taught by our instructors in classic French fine dining service.

At the close of class each night, our instructor Mr. Simonis summarizes a lot of what he saw and gives us a small closing speech of how we can improve based on the events of the night. During one of the nightly closing speeches, I will always remember one speech that really influenced my view of restaurants and even many aspects of life in general. The speech went a little like this after a slow night in ops:

€œ €¦In the restaurant there are days when we are very busy and there is lots to do €¦ there are also days we are very slow and we can stand around. As the years go by you see this cycle continue and it may seem to be very repetitive, and too many people become very boring. Because of this, there needs to be a reason to work. I have found that the people who do the best in this industry are the servers and managers who love people, who enjoy serving, who enjoy building relationships with their guests. It is someone who truly loves people that can do well in the front of the house industry… €

Now, I am paraphrasing what he said and with much less elegance then how he said it, but, nonetheless you understand. In Greg Hook €™s blog a couple weeks ago, he talked about having a passion for the restaurant industry and its service. In this industry, it €™s a must have.

As someone who has had the opportunity to work at Fork as an Expediter, I am able to watch and observe how the restaurant operates. I watch as the line cooks in the kitchen prepare the food with very specific intent, and as they finish, pass their product on to the Chef who then begins, with very acute attention to detail, plating the dish. I observe how the Chef examines the food, searching for any imperfection that might damage the quality and presentation of their food, aiming to put out a perfect dish every single time, almost four hundred times a night.

I watch the servers as they greet their guests with big smiles, genuinely happy about the arrival of the guest. I watch as the entire staff treat each guest as if they were the only ones in the room and treating their dinner service as if they were the most important; making sure every detail of their meal was perfect such as: placing a cocktail fork for oysters or a spoon for soup, clearing and wiping the table after each course. The servers take individualized efforts to Pair wine with guests and guiding them along service taking great lengths to ensure they enjoy their experience.

It all seems so simple and repetitive, especially on nights when we might serve ten guests in our restaurant or have a 30% occupancy rate in your hotel, but it takes so much more than being smart. It takes that special intrinsic passion for people and others happiness that gives you a reason to do it. It takes a love of what you are doing to find a reason to pay so much attention to the small details, to treat those ten guests to the best meal they’ve ever had. It takes that special love to create a hospitality Service Professional.

-Daniel Singer, Student Leader
Restaurant Management, Class of July 2017

By Cecelia Johnson-Chavis

Shake up your routine

At such a small college, it can feel like you €™ve seen what there is to see, but we €™ve got quite a lot going on here. Boredom can lead to stagnation, so it €™s sometimes best to shake up the routine! If you usually study in your room, try studying in the library. If you haven €™t partaken in a Student Life Event, see what they €™re about (and get some points while you €™re at it.) Attend a new club meeting or help out with a Community Ed event. They can all be great ways to meet new people and catch some things going on that you may have missed.

Be proactive

It may seem like the term is already behind us, but there is certainly still time to make a strong finish. If you haven €™t been the best with keeping up with your grades, attendance, points, or internship hours, now is the time to really look into it. If you know where you stand in week seven, there shouldn €™t be any surprises week ten. Communicate with your instructors to make sure that you are on the same page and up to date, because a last minute extra credit or missed assignment can make a difference in your final grade for better or for worse.

Ask for help

At WHC, we have a wealth of resources and a very close knit community, and often some relief to our struggles is only a conversation away. If you €™re having trouble and don €™t feel comfortable going directly to the chef or instructor, there are Student Success Advisors, Student Leaders, tutors, other faculty, and even other classmates. Whether you need help improving your performance in a class, finding a job, or even just finding your way around campus, the first step is asking.

–Cecelia Johnson-Chavis, Student Leader

Culinary Arts, Class of March 2018

By Greg Hook

It €™s week 4 and now we have a full load and the grumblings of the day to day struggles sometimes are tough €¦classes, homework, studying, papers, midterms, work later on tonight, and the squad wants to hang out. Whether you €™re a freshman starting or a senior in the process of graduating, having patience and keeping your passion has excelled me to being the best restaurateur and college student I €™ve ever been.

Most of us will start college with an image of what we want to become and while I went to community college, that image was teaching. As I was working full-time in a friends €™ family restaurant, I completed a Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in math & sciences. At the time, I thought I would go on to receive a bachelor degree in education. However, over the course of my education at community college, the image I had of myself changed. Every day I challenged myself €¦is this what I want? I realized my true passion was helping and serving others and that I would be much happier in a career that involved working in restaurants. But wait, did I just waste two years? Am I sure I really want to go into restaurants? What does that entail? I had to be patient to find out.

When you don €™t have THE answer, which *hint *hint*, you most likely never will, go with your own gut. My answer was easy €¦I would move to Philadelphia, obtain an Associate degree really quick in Restaurant Management, and then move back to NY and become a manager at the restaurant I €™ve been at forever. However, Walnut Hill College opened my eyes to a much different restaurant industry, and even broader, the hospitality industry in general. Whether its quick service, sit-down, casual, fine-dining, hotels, American food, international food, wines, or spirits, the hospitality industry never ends and neither should your passion.

I feel confident I found mine because I am here now in Week 4 of my last year having chosen to continue into the Bachelor program. I work in fine-dining in center city Philadelphia and have an image of myself managing within the fine-dining industry, or finding a way to teach others about the restaurant business. With a wealth of knowledge, skills, and a network that is ever growing, I have more going on day to day than ever in my life, but I find energy in remembering the original passion I had. When I wonder how sometimes a menial task is applicable to my life, I remember to be patient because hard work pays off. Enjoy today and what it has to offer €¦whether it €™s a new cooking style, wine variety, or management technique, think back to why you started it all and that image you had of yourself. Is it different? Is it the same? Just be patient and keep your passion going.

Find your passion within our four degree programs  by clicking here!

-Greg Hook, Student Leader

Restaurant Management, Graduating July 2017

by Thaddeus Meyers

September is just about over and everyone €™s favorite month is almost here. That €™s right, October! We all know that October means our favorite and most useful event that our college has to offer is approaching quickly €¦the CAREER FAIR on October 5th!

October 5th  Wednesday

9:00am to 12:00pm  

European Courtyard

This exclusive fair connects the most successful and innovative hospitality companies

With the best & brightest upcoming hospitality stars (our students and alumni)

Vendors are looking to fill  internships  and job positions in

Culinary,  Hospitality Management,  

Pastry and  Restaurant Management.

Here are some extremely useful tips to look good, feel good, and most importantly make a great first impression to prospective employers.

1.) EYE CONTACT

Making eye contact to an employer is the most important trait to keep in mind while trying to land a job. Growing up in the generation of cell phones and technology we sometimes get in the habit of looking down when we speak to people which is not something an employer wants to see.

2.) FIRM HANDSHAKE

Be sure to shake your fellow prospective employers hand with a smile when meeting them. A simple firm handshake while making eye contact will go a long way with employers. People always say you learn a lot about a person by the way they shake your hand.

3.) CONFIDENCE

The key to succeeding in anything we do in life is being confident. While speaking to an employer be sure to be confident and sound confident in your ability to perform in a work environment. No matter the experience we have, we all have to start somewhere and being confident in yourself will always be beneficial.

4.) DRESS TO IMPRESS

The easiest and most common step to miss is dressing appropriately for career fair. Dressing business professional reflects you as a student and our wonderful college. If you are reading this and wondering €œhow do I know if I am dressed appropriately? €, just go with the safe route and over dress. My rule of thumb personally as a male going to career fair or a job interview is to wear a full suit with a tie because you can always take your jacket off if need be.

5.) MANNERS MATTER

Being comfortable is great, but being too comfortable in a professional environment is not great. When we speak to prospective employers or even our peers during career fair, I recommend to try our best to be as polite as possible and remember our manners. A please and thank you will only benefit your chances of landing a job or internship at career fair.

I hope that these recommendations are useful and you try to make the most of your career fair! Get out of your comfort zone and don’t be scared. Be confident, smart, and professional and you will have no problem having a fantastic career fair. Also, do not forget to check out our Careers & Alumni page for various resources to support your career!

Click here to view my biography!

Thaddeus Meyers, Student Leader

B.S. in Culinary Arts Candidate, Class of March 2017

by Kady Fox

During these past two years at Walnut Hill College, I have learned how much it means to me to attend a smaller institution. At Walnut Hill College, we are treated like hospitality professionals, just like how we expect to be treated outside of college in the work force. Each new start of students grow together and build a strong bond, whether you see it within your own group or you witnessed it in the most recent graduated class of students. This bond becomes very noticeable in the Associate’s degree program trip to either France or Florida. I enjoy coming to class and spending time on campus because I feel as if I am learning every day from my classmates, including both under and upperclassmen.

At small institutions like Walnut Hill College, students get the freedom to express their passion with the support of faculty and staff. Each member of our faculty is passionate and knowledgeable about their specific subject area. They also are passionate about helping students succeed which helps to create an amazing atmosphere within the classroom. There is always someone in this college willing to help turn a passion or idea into a reality. Through the assistance of our faculty, we have had students start with creating custom menus and follow through the process all the way to turning those menus into a full-fledged, functioning restaurant.

The community at this college is strong and I am proud to attend, support, and be supported by my fellow classmates and staff at Walnut Hill College. To meet various staff and faculty members at Walnut Hill College, click here.

Kady Fox, Student Leader

B.S. in Hotel Management Candidate, Class of July 2017

by Emily Wistar

It €™s that time of year again!  Whether you €™re starting college for the first time, coming back for your second or third year, or changing careers altogether, you can never be too prepared. Here are a few tips I have come up with to help make the coming year as successful and enjoyable as possible.

1. Get Organized

One great thing about Walnut Hill College is that the classes are so diverse which comes with a diverse set of tools. Make sure you keep your kitchen tools clean and organized so you are able to keep up with class work. It is easy to just toss things back into your backpack at the end of a long, hot, kitchen class, but I highly recommend keeping everything in its place mise-en-place!). Try to invest in a utility bag, which can be easily found at any hardware store that has several compartments and pouches to keep your tools right where you need them. If you €™re a commuter like me, keep your car stocked with an extra uniform, pens, notebooks, etc. You never know what you may forget at home.

2. Read your Course Success Guide

It may look a bit wordy, but it really is there to aid in your, you guessed it, success. You will find important dates and assignments neatly outlined, as well as resources for additional information and grading requirements. Have it handy to stay on top of upcoming assignments and keep yourself organized.

3. Know What Your Professors Expect of You

Get to know them! We are lucky be able to attend a college that is so much like a family €¦You €™re not just a face in the crowd. The Professors and Chefs at Walnut Hill College really do care about your continued growth and want you to get the most out of your stay here. I €™m not saying to become a teacher €™s pet, but that you take the time to get to know them. Figuring out what is expected of you and doing your best to achieve it will help start your year off smoothly.

4. Get Involved!

There is so much to be a part of here at Walnut Hill College. Almost every day there is some kind of fun event or club meeting to attend. Not only will you rack up those essential Student Life and Learning points, but you have the opportunity to learn something outside of your major, and connect with your fellow students. If you can €™t find a club you €™d like to join, talk to a Professor about starting your own! Take advantage of all there is to do here, inside and outside of the classroom.

5. Connect with Career Services

We €™re all attending college to do what? Get a good job! Well lucky for us, we have an amazing Career Services Department that is ready and able to help you land that dream interview. It €™s never too early to start thinking of where you want to be when you graduate (trust me, it goes by SO much faster than you €™d think) and Career Services is there to help you every step of the way.

6. Fight Procrastination

As difficult as it can be, don €™t save that presentation or research paper until the last minute. You €™ll feel so much better being prepared. Get a planner or make a chart to help you meet your goals. Projects will seem much less stressful if you work on them a little at a time.

7. Schedule Time for Yourself

Between being a full-time student, work, family, friends, and the hundreds of other roles you play day to day, don €™t forget to give yourself some down time.

I hope you find some of these tips useful and enjoy the time you have here at Walnut Hill College! Make the most of your experiences, get outside of your comfort zone, and take advantage of all the great opportunities in store for you. Check out our Student Life page for information on clubs and exciting student activities on campus!

Emily Wistar, Student Leader

B.S. in Pastry Arts Candidate, Class of March 2017

€œA person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. €  – Albert Einstein