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“Where’s woody?” This phrase is posted on flyers hanging up in academic buildings.
“Woody” stands for the Allenwood Restaurant in Ackerman Hall.
The hospitality management department is currently serving light, refreshing dishes such as salads, soups and pastas for prices that won’t break the bank.
“[Allenwood Restaurant opened] in 1965, and we prepared the lunches for school children,” said Tom Vandyke, current chairperson for the hospitality management department. “It just evolved from that point of time.”
The restaurant not only offers great deals for food and enjoyment to students, but serves as an educational tool for students who are in the hospitality management department.
Allenwood serves as a lab course for students to get hands-on experience working at a restaurant and serving customers.
Each class is able to hold up to 18 students.
The experience that is gained through the course are skills of woring behind the scenes — the “back of the house” — where the cooking and the industrialized equipment are controlled, while other students are able to handle serving the public — the “front of the house” — where they will be managing food orders from customers.
“[There are] three lab courses available. [One is] how they put meals together and operate equipment. The second is learning how to serve the public and the third is [handling] themed dinners,” Debbie
Rankin, hospitality management department secretary, said. “The dinners are held every Tuesday [from March 2 to April 27], and this week’s theme...”
The interesting layout to the theme will consist of a variety of grilled vegetable salad with an olive vinaigrette, shrimp cocktail, grilled halibut, steamed asparagus and risotto; and for dessert, maple syrup upside-down cake.
Allenwood Restaurant offers choices, such as pasta, with a choice of either marinara or Alfredo sauce, topped with grated Parmesan cheese, and a side of spring mix salad in homemade vinaigrette.
If you’re having a taste for Mexican food, steak and chicken quesadillas are available, accompanied by their fresh corn soup.
For daily specials, pasta with olive oil pecorino and pepper, served with a spring mix salad with homemade vinaigrette is up for grabs.
Allenwood Restaurant also offers vegetarian options, such as a vegetarian quesadilla and corn soup.
Have a sweet tooth? Their baked apple dessert with whipped cream and caramel sauce served with a coffee is available for just $2.
Despite the faculty members and students who were able to make the restaurant possible, the gratitude also belongs to a former chairperson.
“Allen Wood used to be on the faculty,” Rankin said. “He was the chair of the food and nutrition department.”
Allenwood Restaurant is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with special dinners held Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
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