Greene CTC culinary arts program to present annual buffet
Katherine Mansfield
From left, Marymae Martisko, Maddie Bissett and Claudia Carter worked together to bring A Taste of Christmas to Greene County as part of their FCCLA event management course. Holiday dinners will be distributed in festive boxes Dec. 10 on the GCCTC campus.
Katherine Mansfield
On the A Taste of Christmas holiday buffet menu: applewood smoked ham with a pineapple bourbon glaze.
Katherine Mansfield
Dan Smith, a senior at GCCTC无毛视频檚 culinary program, carves ham in the spacious campus kitchen on a recent weekday. Applewood smoked ham, slow roasted with a pineapple bourbon glaze, is on the A Taste of Christmas menu.
Greene County Career and Technology Center culinary students are once again serving up A Taste of Christmas.
The class, led by culinary arts instructor Dan Wagner, has served delightful holiday dishes to the community at its annual Christmas buffet for decades. Last year was the first year since 1991 the event was canceled.
But this year it无毛视频檚 back 无毛视频� with a candy cane-striped twist.
无毛视频淧eople are going to drive up,无毛视频� said senior Maddie Bissett, who is organizing the event alongside senior Claudia Carter and junior Marymae Martisko. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 going to be just a nice experience.无毛视频�
For decades, the buffet has brought the community together around the table in GCCTC无毛视频檚 culinary banquet hall. This year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the class had to think outside the (prettily wrapped) box to pull off a holiday dinner that is both safe and fun.
For Bissett, Carter and Martisko, thinking outside the box meant putting everything into boxes.
无毛视频淲e all really enjoyed the Christmas buffet, the idea of it, and whenever we realized that we couldn无毛视频檛 do it because of COVID, we all came together pretty much as a class,无毛视频� said Carter. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e like, OK, how can we make this an experience that people can enjoy but they can also get food? We brainstormed. It can无毛视频檛 just be a drive-thru. What about a drive-thru and a show?无毛视频�
Bissett, Carter and Martisko worked closely with Wagner to plan the festive drive-thru buffet, which will be held at GCCTC无毛视频檚 campus from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 10. With the help of staff and students from other departments 无毛视频� Wagner said he appreciates the assistance from those departments and the support of director Mark Krupa 无毛视频� the culinary class will transform the drive-thru route into a winter wonderland.
Guests can expect festive stops along the way to their holiday dinner box.
An elf will greet guests with hot cocoa and cookies, said Carter, and Wagner hinted a jolly man known for booming 无毛视频淢eeerry Christmas!无毛视频� might make an appearance.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e going to try to make it as festive as possible,无毛视频� said Wagner. 无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 going to be fun.无毛视频�
The drive-thru buffet is part of an event management course Bissett, Carter and Martisko are taking through Family Career and Community Leaders of America. The three will present their event at FCCLA state competition in March.
无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 a great learning experience for the students,无毛视频� said Wagner, who helped his students plan the buffet menu, price out and order food and containers, and organize the drive-thru event.
Bissett said planning a large-scale event like the holiday buffet is challenging because so many small pieces need to fit together to pull off the event.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a lot of little aspects,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been quite the experience working together with Mr. Wagner.无毛视频�
The buffet box-style dinner poses a unique set of challenges to the culinary class. In previous years, food was prepared and served on-site; this year, food must be precooked. Wagner rented a refrigerated tractor-trailer in which to store food and boxes in the days leading up to A Taste of Christmas.
Minor roadblocks popped up during planning. Wagner said placing orders for some items was more challenging this year than in years past.
无毛视频淲e have rising prices in food right now. Plastic containers are hard to come by,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e been pivoting. That无毛视频檚 what you have to do: you have to pivot.无毛视频�
Pivot, and plan a small menu that can be easily packaged and reheated at home 无毛视频� that无毛视频檚 what Bissett, Carter and Martisko spent the past several weeks doing. Wagner joked the hardest part of menu planning was choosing a soup 无毛视频� the class settled on a warm, comforting roasted butternut squash soup.
Other dinner items that will packaged in the buffet boxes include Maddie无毛视频檚 Homemade Vegetable Medley; jambalaya (a holiday buffet staple); and a recipe by Chef Oliver Beckert, former executive chef at Trump International Hotels who assisted GCCTC culinary students with their last holiday buffet in 2019.
Assorted desserts are also on the menu, but the class is keeping the sweets secret. Participants can expect something festive and delicious, though: Bissett was recently accepted into the Pittsburgh Technical College baking and pastry program.
Bissett, Carter and Martisko are excited to serve the community a holiday meal that can be enjoyed in the comfort of one无毛视频檚 home.
无毛视频淧eople who may not have gotten to experience it before will get to experience it now,无毛视频� said Carter, who hopes folks who haven无毛视频檛 attended dinners in the past will drive through this one. 无毛视频淲e are making a difference in the community, even if it无毛视频檚 just a small one.无毛视频�
Wagner is proud to showcase his students无毛视频� culinary talent and creativity at this festive take on tradition.
无毛视频淥ur community has always supported this program. I love this community and the way they support the program, how they support the students and their ideas,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e gather as a community here at the Greene County CTC for the Christmas buffet. This year, you can share it with your family.无毛视频�
Holiday buffet boxes include inner for two and can be ordered online at www.greenectc.org or over the phone by calling 724-627-3106.
The deadline to order is Dec. 6.