The finer things

With candlelight, snowflakes and silver streamers, Emery’s Restaurant was ready for holiday eaters.

Last week, students from the North Idaho College culinary arts program hosted the program’s annual winter dinner, Winter Wonderland, including a four-course meal in the Hedlund Building on campus. The meal was a chance for students to show off the finer foods apart from lunches they make during their weekly routine.

“A lot of people come just because it’s somewhere different, it’s fun and it supports the school,” said Rick Schultz, chef instructor for the program.

Schultz started the culinary arts program in 1989 with three students. Now, 24 students are working their way through the 10-month course.

Students spend equal time on hospitality, cooking and baking, and learn every aspect of restaurant etiquette and management. Larry Bassett, 19, started with the program at the end of August. He said he’s always enjoyed cooking and decided to take the course after choosing a career in cooking. He works at Dockside in the Coeur d’Alene Resort and hopes to open a restaurant of his own.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It gives all of us a chance to experience some of the finer dining.”

He participated in the harvest dinner held earlier this year and said the meal was a good learning experience.

“We all got to make something that was a little more exquisite than for a normal class.”

Now with the holiday dinner under his apron, he said it’ll be nice to have a new way to cook salmon, and know how to cook for future gatherings.

Schultz said when specialty dinners aren’t on the menu, the restaurant’s goal is to bring more people in as customers to help students learn while putting the college on display.

“They get to see hands-on learning,” he said.

Emery’s is open to students, faculty and staff and the public from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The dining room overlooks Lake Coeur d’Alene on the second floor of the Hedlund Building, and the restaurant has a private conference room available for lunches.

Schultz said the lunch is popular with some in the community but four formal dinners are scheduled during the year to help expose the program to others in the area.

The $18 Winter Wonderland dinner was the last dinner for this year. Two more dinners are planned for next spring, including a date-night formal and a tropical-themed dinner.

Schultz said the class shoots for 100 meals and plans the menus for each dinner.

The tables were packed from beginning to end during the event last week as couples and families taste-tested the students’ creations.

“I thought it was a really fun date,” said Jeri Anne Lee of Post Falls, who ate with her husband, Jerry, and daughter, Megan.

Jerry said the college is a great service to the community, and the family does what it can to support it. They’ve each taken classes at NIC and have attended sports and arts performances.

Megan visited the restaurant before, but it was new to both her parents. Jeri Anne Lee said she frequently overlooked the building during strolls by the lake.

Now that she’s had a taste, she said she’s looking forward to the next dinner meal.

“I felt like I really knew the campus, but I’d never seen this building or this program, so I’m really happy to get a chance to see what they’re doing,” Jeri Anne Lee said.