Sold out! Six of my most popular Chef Specials.

Grilled Colorado Lamb Chops with Charred Romaine, Red Bell Peppers, Artichoke and Kalamata Olives.

After a semester of only serving food to go in our student run-restaurant “Scallions” at Ozarks Technical Community College, I am excited to announce that we are planning to reopen for full service dining this Fall. In this post I will summarize my teaching methodology for our capstone class and will showcase six of my past specials from 2019 that will hopefully give you some ideas for cooking at home or in a professional setting.

Held on the OTC campus in Springfield Missouri the aim of our Restaurant Operations class is to teach the students how to run an a la carte kitchen. The class is designed to give the students some real world experience in an actual restaurant setting and is open for lunch one day a week. In the restaurant we serve between 60 to 80 covers (guests) on an average day. In the class I teach how to design a menu, write the recipes, how to cost out the recipe items and determine the menu food cost as well as how to develop prep sheets and par sheets for each station. In culinary training I introduce new techniques and skills in the core menu and in my chef specials. The recipes also re-enforces previously learned techniques from earlier fundamental classes. 

The students rotate between 6 stations every two weeks. The stations which are typically found in actual restaurant kitchens are Sautee, Middle, Grill, Pantry, Pastry and Sous Chef. The theme of the menu focuses on American Bistro style and offers the types of foods that are popular and easily procured in the Midwest region of the country. The menu is broken up into three sections: the core menu, student specials and chef specials. We prep the menu on Tuesdays and service is on Thursdays. The majority of menu items come from the core menu which I tweak every semester, the student specials come from a four-course signature menu that they plan and create at the beginning of the semester, and includes a salad, soup, entrée and dessert. I create the weekly chef specials and teach the students how to prepare and serve them. The orders are taken and the guests are served by the front of the house management class. 

My chef specials showcase my philosophy for designing menu items that are desirable for the majority of guests that live in this part of the country. In this post are six of my most popular creations from past semesters, each of which sold out, with between 16 and 25 portions that were produced.

The opening image is of Colorado Grilled Lamb Chops. These were marinated in a Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette prior to being grilled to order.

Grilled Swordfish and Sweet Corn Risotto



Grilled Swordfish with Sweet Corn Risotto was another popular dish that I served with grilled sliced zucchini planks, small diced red peppers, and corn. I then garnished it with grilled shrimp and charred scallions. Seafood is very popular in the Midwest however only well-known species are normally consumed by most diners. That being said I sell only sustainable species and steer clear of endangered overfished options that are often sold in many restaurants.

Beef Roulades with Spätzle, baked Acorn Squash, braised Red Cabbage and Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter.



During the month of October, I sold Germanic-style inspired specials to celebrate the month. The most popular was my version of the German Classic- Beef Roulades with Spätzle and Red Cabbage. Two of the other Octoberfest specials of note were Chicken Bavarian, and a duo of Wiener Schnitzel and Venison Medallion with Huckleberry Sauce and Potato Pancakes both sold out quickly. Germanic style dishes are becoming harder to find in most restaurants, as of late, and I believe when done well are still very much desired by many Midwesterners. Supporting evidence of this statement is illustrated with the amount of feedback that I received when I posted this image on a “German Recipes and Traditions” Facebook group. The post garnered more than 1000 likes and comments combined.

Two seafood presentations- Sole stuffed with Royal Red Rock Shrimp, Bay Scallops and Italian Vegetables with Pernod Burre Blanc, and Braised Bronzini (Mediterranean Sea Bass) with Little Neck Clams in a Tomato, Fennel, Leek, and Garlic Broth.



Another popular Seafood Special that I prepared was Stuffed Bronzini filet with Royal Red Rock Shrimp and Bay Scallops with Italian Vegetables. To be more specific I used Zucchini, Fennel, Red Onion, Leeks and Red Peppers with a touch of garlic, basil, and oregano. Which was then served with a Pernod Beurre Blanc. I wasn’t able to get a good photo of the special so I used this image that I took from a seafood lab in my Fabrication class where I made the dish with Filet of Sole instead of Bronzini, the plate in the background is Bronzini also known as Mediterranean Sea Bass

Braised Short Ribs of Beef in Red Wine with Sundried Tomato- Wild Mushroom Risotto and Fried Parsnips.

The last of the six most popular specials is Braised Short Ribs of Beef in a Rich Red Wine Sauce with Risotto made with Wild Mushrooms and Sun-dried Tomatoes garnished with fried Parsnip Ribbons. I make this dish with a regional red wine -Saint James Norton which is a red grape varietal that is produced from Saint James Winery in Southern Missouri.  A great dish that is always popular during the cold months of the year. If you want the recipe I have previously posted the recipe in my recipes page of this blog.

Classic traditional cooking techniques and recipes using regional popular foods will always be hit with diners. Unfortunately, many of these types of dishes are hard to find in many of today’s restaurants for a variety of reasons.a