SCOTT GULLEDGE / Scroll
Erica Porter, a junior from Decatur, Ill., arranges a plate of food for lunch at the Café Dejeuner last week. The cafe will soon be closing its doors.

Culinary arts major, program may be converted to a minor by the end of winter semester

Brittney Jade Betzer BET05002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Eat, drink and be merry — for now. The BYU-Idaho Culinary Arts program may be converted from a major to a minor this year.

The possible program change is still pending curriculum approval.

“It is difficult to offer a complete culinary arts program in just 25 credits. There are a lot of areas that would be very limited. It is a personal loss for me but this is about making decisions that are for the good of the whole university. I started the program from the beginning with one major and built it up over the years, but I am excited to make Culinary Arts classes available to more students across campus,” said Carma Sutherland, program manager of the Culinary Arts program.

The students of the Culinary Arts program run the Café Déjeuner, where a four-day buffet is served, as well as the Brigham Bakery. The café will also be closing its doors soon.

“It is sad to see the café go. It is the best food you can get in Rexburg and now it is going to be gone. It has been a great opportunity to be part of the program,” said Heather Munns, a senior from Riverside, Calif.

“We have been doing the buffets since the program started. It simulates a real life experience for the students,” Sutherland said.

The responsibilities are “pretty intense; we rotate the planning and execution of a menu that features appetizers, entrée, and dessert,” said Melissa Todd, a senior from Mount Pleasant, Utah.

Munns acted as manager for the New York City-themed buffet. The students’ assignment for the semester was to choose a region and center the menu around it. Themes range from “California, Trip to the Vineyard” buffet to “The South” menus.

Munns chose to focus her menu on New York because “it has been the center of the fashion world for a long time. It is glamorous and rich, and I wanted to share that with the students here.”

“We would like to invite people to continue to support us throughout the year and we appreciate the support we have had from the campus community,” Sutherland said.

Café Déjeuner is located in the Clarke 341 and is open Tuesday-Friday, when school is in session (Jan. 12- April 20). The doors open at 11 a.m. with the last seating at 12:30 p.m.