Students studying food and nutrition annually host Friday Night Cafés that serve up internationally inspired meals and décor for the Northwest community. (Photos by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)
Northwest Missouri State University students studying food and nutrition are continuing their Friday Night Café and serving guests internationally inspired meals and décor.
Students will host one café night this fall, featuring a taste of Germany from 5 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, on the third floor of the Administration Building.
Tickets are $15 and available to purchase online by clicking here. Seating is limited to 50 guests.
The menu for the Oktoberfest theme will feature main entrees of schweine-schnitzel, soft pretzels and classic Oktoberfest bratwurst with sides of a vegetable medley, roasted brussel sprouts and traditional spaetzle. The menu also features a variety of salads and cakes.
The Friday Night Café satisfies the lab requirement for students enrolled in Northwest’s quantity foods course, taught by Kelli Wilmes, who is the director of Northwest’s dietetics program.
“As food and nutrition professionals, our students will likely be involved in the planning and execution of many events like this during future dietetic internships or their place of work,” Wilmes said. “This allows them to learn the concepts of quantity food preparation with a real life situation.”
Students organize into management teams and committees, which are responsible for budgeting, grocery shopping and marketing as well as setting up and decorating the café.
All aspects of the evening – including the theme, menu selection, pricing and décor – are prepared by management teams of students. The professional-based experience helps students practice skills in safe and healthy food preparation as well as management, teamwork, organization, budgeting, crisis and quality management.
“This event has helped a lot with piecing together a lot of the stuff that I learned my sophomore and junior year,” Darrian Gordon, a senior registered dietician major from Maryville, said. “It’s given me a lot of respect for food service managers because there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s also great just collaborating with classmates that I’ve grown with through the three years that I’ve been here.”
Carsen Sporleder, a senior foods and nutrition major from Unionville, Missouri, is in charge of budgeting, from purchasing décor to groceries.
”Having all these components and doing more than just writing on paper will help me be a better leader or manager in the future and put me in situations where management is needed,” Sporleder said.
She added, “Friday Night Café means letting out our creative sides to make a professional and inviting atmosphere filled with delicious food and tasty drinks.”
For more information about Northwest’s foods, nutrition and dietetics programs, click here.