Hidden in plain view for more than 40 years, Milwaukee Area Technical College’s student-run fine-dining restaurant, Cuisine, remains largely unknown. The apex of the college’s culinary program, all students earning a culinary degree are required to operate the restaurant through an eight-week course at the end of their studies. All aspects, from menu planning, food-cost calculations, prep work and cooking to front-of-house operations, are handled by students.
“The restaurant is a working lab that gives students the opportunity to practice and refine their culinary skills,” says John Reiss, chef and culinary instructor at MATC. “It is a capstone course that requires them to take all the skills they have learned and put them into action in a live restaurant setting.”
The menu changes at least weekly during the course, allowing students to contribute to seasonal menu planning and test a greater range of culinary skills. It sports a number of starters, including salads, composed appetizers, seafood bisques and a soup of the day. Entrées will always feature chicken, steak and seafood dishes, with pork, lamb or other meats rotating depending on availability. Whole animals are often acquired, allowing students to practice their butchering skills. The restaurant operates on a break-even basis, keeping the cost to diners low, especially considering the quality of the ingredients, which are locally sourced as much as possible. It’s not unusual to get a three-course meal with a lobster main for around $30, for example.
Students switch positions halfway through the course between the front and back of the house. Serving in the dining room is often a real eye-opening experience, says Jack Kaestner, culinary instructor. There is often a rocky relationship between the kitchen and servers in restaurants, and the goal here is to help students understand the challenges of service. “After their eight weeks they have a better appreciation for what it takes to be a good server,” Kaestner says. The whole-restaurant approach to culinary education creates more well-rounded chefs.
One unusual feature in the modern dining room is the array of large-screen televisions showing a live view of the kitchen. The reasoning for this is twofold, according to Kaestner: It provides entertainment to the guests, and it also keeps the students mindful of their actions when they’re held accountable to the guests, not just their instructors. “It’s great for the students to actually serve real people,” he says. “I think it’s the best learning experience and it’s great to see students rise to the challenge.”
Cuisine is located on the first floor of the MATC building at Sixth and State Street. Anyone can dine at the restaurant, though the hours are only during lunch, and only when classes are in session. The best way to find out when they are open (and what’s on the menu) is on Cuisine’s Facebook page, which is updated regularly.
