Phoenix College Culinary Café Opens Doors For Fall

(PHOENIX, AZ, Sept. 11, 2003) - Enticing aromas of eggplant parmesan and grilled sea bass are not only captivating students, faculty and staff at Phoenix College but area community patrons as well. As these mouth-watering scents waft from the Osborn Center and into the local community, both old and new café clientele continue to take advantage of the "best kept secret in town" - the Phoenix College Culinary Café.

The café officially reopened for the season on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Lunches will be served every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and café customers can either select from a three-course Prix Fix menu or a list of appealing A la Carte specials. With a Prix Fix three-course meal at $7.50 per person, loyal customers consider lunch at the Phoenix College Culinary Café to be one of the best bargains in the Valley.

Thanks to the Culinary Studies Program, the Phoenix College Culinary Café offers aspiring chefs the opportunity to polish and perfect their skills in a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art teaching kitchen. Students are taught to prepare a selection of gourmet meals using restaurant-quality ovens and stoves under the supervision of program director, Chef Scott Robinson, and six adjunct chefs. Classes, which range in size from 15 to 18 students, prepare a variety of classic French dishes.

Robinson teaches an "open style program," where students have the opportunity to take his classes without prior culinary experience.

As an increasing number of cooking shows continue to sprout up on television networks across the country, more and more individuals are being tempted to enhance their culinary expertise. That's the beauty of the Phoenix College Culinary Studies Program! It is open to those dedicated chefs who stay for several semesters, as well as those students interested in taking only one class. Either way, "all students get the same training," said Robinson.

The Phoenix College Culinary Café can serve 60 to 80 customers and reservations are highly recommended. However, if the lunch hours fail to meet business hour schedules, it is important to note that the Culinary Studies Program also caters events.

The Culinary Studies Program is part of the Applied Arts and Human Sciences Department. For more information regarding enrollment, call (602) 285-7765. For those interested in making lunch reservations or catering requests, call (602) 285-7764. The Culinary Café is located in the College's Osborn Center at 11th Avenue and Osborn Road in central Phoenix.

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