Culinary classroom

Just a few blocks from Portland State, another group of students arrives on campus for a day of classes. They set down their bags and books and settle in to study.

Photo by Corinna Scott

Low Price, Swank Taste: This delicious grilled flatiron steak sandwich would be much more expensive at a traditional upscale establishment.

But their laboratories come complete with stoves, ovens, grills and fryers. And those bags contain knives, peelers and other kitchen gadgets. These are the students of Oregon Culinary Institute, training for careers in the restaurants of Portland and beyond.

Why should a PSU student care about having a culinary school so close to the Park Blocks?
Let’s face it: Most college students can’t afford a multicourse dinner at a nice restaurant. The typical college budget and the words “fine dining” are usually incompatible.

But thanks to the open-to-the-public restaurant integrated into the OCI curriculum, you don’t have to blow a week’s budget to enjoy high-quality dining. The genius of OCI’s integrated restaurant is that it allows for patrons to actually enjoy the fruits of the students’ labors while also providing real-world experience for those students.

When you walk into the restaurant, you enter the ultimate culinary classroom. From start to finish, you are feted by students learning their art.

The server taking your order is studying for his or her restaurant management degree, as is the bartender pouring your drink. The cooks preparing each meal are testing themselves in the culinary arts classroom, and the selection of desserts to finish each meal are crafted and plated by students in the baking and pastry program.

Guided by instructors, the student staff can accommodate as many as 70 diners each meal. A creative menu, planned and implemented in the classroom in collaboration with the school’s local purveyors, is brought to life before each customer’s eyes in the open kitchen.

At lunch, diners can start their meals with one of three salads before selecting an entree. Choices include seared sea scallops with a corn, tomato and bean succotash; leg of lamb with ratatouille and lentils; and a crispy ham hock sandwich with arugula and shaved onion rings. Then, one must decide on the chocolate torte or the cheesecake for dessert.

Dinner presents even more options, with a choice of soup or appetizer to start the meal. The students prepare a variety of dishes, including grilled pork loin with caramelized apples and fingerling potatoes, or a bucatini pasta with shrimp, tomatoes and fennel pollen.

If you have time to sit down for a longer lunch between classes, you can indulge in three courses for less than $10, just a 15-minute walk from campus. For the same price you would spend to have a pizza delivered, the restaurant at OCI will provide a full four-course dinner. The students were going to have to prepare food, anyway, for class; your wallet and your stomach reap the rewards.