New Jersey City University
Text and photo by Nelly McKay
As I watch the culinary and baking teams meticulously prepare each of the dishes, I become aware of another team that cannot be overlooked: the vendors supporting us with their amazing products. One of those supporters is Frantoio Pruneti from San Polo, Chianti who supplied the Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil we have used in our dishes. So we thank the four generations of the Pruneti family who have been farming in Tuscany for over 100 years. Their commitment to the land and its produce add a special touch of freshness to our dishes.
Tonight’s dinner guests, like at Queens College, were members of the academic and local communities. The local Dante Alighieri society was also in the audience. The NJCU founding fathers would not recognize the current campus:
Building structures have increased from one (1) to 26! Academic options went from 1 (one) training program for teachers to 32 undergraduate and 19 graduate degree serving the needs of over 10,000 students.
The hard work from everyone paid great dividends, in fact, the student chefs received standing ovation for the menu. Had this been a Broadway play they would have had several curtain calls!
I think the leading characters in the NJCU meal were the herb-glazed artichoke and Chianti-braised lamb shank with turmeric potato puree, and sautéed black cabbage. However, I must admit that the pastry team wowed everyone again with their dessert, which was a layered cake with hazelnut, mascarpone, raspberry, and lemon, with a side of chocolate pot de créme.
Congratulations to all for another successful event!