Students guide menu change at Orlando’s

When Duane Sunwold’s students in the culinary arts program at Spokane Community College found out that their instructor’s chronic kidney disease meant that he could no longer eat at the campus restaurant, they did more than simply express their regrets: They changed the menu.

One of the stations in the Orlando’s kitchen was already set aside for the preparation of a vegetarian entree, but many of the meatless dishes created at the station relied heavily on cheese, eggs and salt. Once the students realized that these three basic ingredients, as well as meat, were off-limits for Sunwold, they went looking for fully vegan alternatives that included no animal products at all. The goal? They wanted to create what they called “Duane-friendly” meals.

The result? Not only have they found foods and cooking methods that allowed Sunwold to return to Orlando’s to eat, they also made the culinary arts faculty realize the program curriculum needed to change. It has. In addition to all the classic training offered, each new class of students now also learns to cook from published kidney and diabetic nutritional guidelines.

The rapid rise of chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure and diabetes (nearly 10 percent of the current U.S. population has some form) will force other culinary programs around the country to follow SCC’s lead, but for now they remain at the forefront of creative vegan cuisine simply because several students cared personally about one of their instructors.

You can taste the results for lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at Orlando’s on the SCC campus from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The restaurant is closed for spring break and reopens April 10.

For more information about when Orlando’s is open to the public call Janet Breedlove at (509) 533-7283.