Campus Life
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Sometimes, students get so wrapped up in their classes that it may seem like they eat, sleep and drink school work. Now, students from the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at New Mexico State University will get to do just that – and the public can join them.
Students from HRTM and human nutrition and food science began serving up a la carte meals from the school’s new food production lab in September 2006. The restaurant’s name, 100 West, is also its location in Gerald Thomas Hall. Money raised from the food sales will be used to offset the class cooking lab costs, which includes the food being prepared for the meals.
Although the students are excited about the chance to get hands-on experience, there is a little fear added to the mix.
“I’m scared,” says Melanie Foutz, a senior nutrition student. “I’m pretty confident on the cooking side, but it’s the serving side that I’m not sure about. I’ve never done this before, but I think once I start doing it, it will be fine.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” says Mike Martinez, an HRTM senior, “especially knowing you’re cooking for a group of people. It’s not just for you; it’s for students, teachers and faculty. These are people you see every day, so it’s a little intimidating.”
Martinez, who also plays on the NMSU football team, is proud to be one of the first students to use the new lab.
“HRTM has the most student-friendly faculty and staff on campus,” he says. “So it’s really cool to see the school doing so well now. We all deserve it.”
Ivan Saenz, also an HRTM senior who has worked in restaurants for 14 years, has learned more at HRTM than he has on the job.
“Here,” Saenz says, “you actually learn the process from beginning to end to find out what the whole experience at a restaurant is all about. You get to experience a broader view and see a lot more things.”
“The purpose of 100 West is to give the students a hands-on facility. Instead of reading on how to cook and serve the public food, they actually get to do it,” says John Hartley, college assistant professor for HRTM. “It gives them practical experience and exposure to the public that they normally don’t get in the classroom.”
“The facility is designed for three purposes,” Hartley says. “It has little kitchenettes in it, so we can get a large group of students and divide them up among several kitchens. That way, they can all get their hands dirty and work on the same project. It’s also set up to be a functional restaurant, so we can serve the public and it’s also set up so it can be a demonstration kitchen.”
Hartley adds that more features are on the way for the food production lab, including cameras in the main cooking line and monitors in the dining area that will allow people to see their food being cooked.