By: Gina Robledo
Upon walking into the nutrition lab, you can hear the noise of the blender, the chef talking to the students from the kitchen, the sound of the soup bubbling in the pot, the crunch of the aluminum foil, and the knife cutting through vegetables and hitting the cutting board.
These sensations are all from the Recipe Box Café, a weekly event where the dietetic and nutrition students go through all the stages of preparing and serving food to paying customers.
This event consists of three-course meals-the appetizer, main course, and dessert. Students can choose the theme of the meal based on cultural foods or significance.
The Recipe Box Café has been a Dominican feature since 1968 and originally drew diners from the surrounding suburbs, according to Douglas Edward Lammie, one of the chefs/instructors.
Lammie said the cafe now attracts a wider range of people who want to support the students.
Everyone from the staff, chef, students, and guests smiled throughout the entire event as the students move through Parmer Atrium serving food and filling glasses.
“It is fulfilling to see the process of how working in a job like this brings people together,” Lammie said. “I need this because it feels good to turn off the other parts of your brain and come here and just work with your hands.”
Senior Joseph “Joey” Gonzalez oversaw the theme for the Oct. 19 menu and selected American breakfast.
The appetizer was biscuits and gravy and a shot of green juice, the main course was spinach and roasted red pepper quiche, and the dessert was chocolate chia seed pudding.
Gonzalez stated that the planning and preparation are the most challenging parts.
“The most rewarding part is watching the guests eat the food while chatting,” said Gonzalez. “You get to see that they are actually enjoying it and it makes everything worth it.”
By 5:30 p.m., the Parmer Atrium was turning into an elegant dining room.
As guests drifted in, the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the room, soon to be joined by the sounds of clinking glasses and spoons scraping plates.
Two guests, Ella and Artem, who declined to give their last names, were on their second visit to the café.
“The food is always amazing, and the room is always filled with positive vibes,” said Ella. “It is something we love partaking in.”
This event takes place in the atrium at Dominican and happens every week on Thursdays during the fall. For guests, it begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m.
On Oct. 26, the theme was, The Roots of Suriname, a small country on the coast of South America.
The appetizer was pitjel, a meal consisted of steamed vegetables tossed with peanut sauce, the main course was smoky pinto beans, turkey and chicken stew over rice, and dessert is bojo, yucca, coconut and raisin cake.
Students and families are welcomed to join the Café by making a reservation on recipeboxcafe@dom.edu.