NJCU: A Standing Ovation
By TuttoToscana Team
Photo by David Weiss
After a positive start at HSFI, the team transitioned into the second event of the week in NYC.
Like HSFI, New Jersey City University was a returning location for our team, and presented a mix of familiar and new elements for 2014. We stuck with a similar, prix fixe meal format, and the “Tasting Tuscany Today” menu placed emphasis on the specialty ingredients that were chosen by our chefs.
Spello chickpeas from the Umbria region turned into a velvety chickpea and shrimp soup, for example, Tuscan black cabbage tossed with gnudi pasta and sausage from the Casentino area of Tuscany were presented to an enthusiastic crowd of diners.
We were very happy to find out that several of the diners were present last year and couldn’t miss up on the opportunity to re-taste the flavors of our team. Guests included members of the NJCU academic community and local community organizations such as the Dante Alighieri association of Jersey City. NJCU President Sue Henderson gave a welcoming speech that chronicled her acquaintance with FUA over the years and her strong support of international education. She also referenced the importance of tourism in the NY area, seen in the rising importance of NJ hotels.
Coming back to NJCU for the second time made for a more confident start to the evening. Collaborating with the NJCU kitchen staff was a seamless effort. The service staff for the evening brought new faces into the mix, but the FUA faculty worked with beautifully with the waiters for table service.
What was the overall effect of the evening’s meal? The menu was mature, full of vibrant and rich flavors, and visually enhanced by complex presentations such as the secondo and dessert. Brigade members Meagan, Jo, Lisa, and Silvana described each course to the audience with grace, professionalism, and technical bravado. And in the first time in ten years of traveling to the US with the TuttoToscana team, the brigade received a standing ovation from the entire crowd.