A North Idaho College culinary arts student prepares a dish in the kitchen at Emery’s Restaurant on the college campus in Coeur d’Alene. (Photos by KATIE HARTWIG)
By MAUREEN DOLAN/North Idaho College
Just outside Emery’s Restaurant, on the eatery’s annual, mid-September opening day, a sailboat floated gracefully across the rippled surface of Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Diners enjoyed the view – framed by tall, white birch trees and ponderosa pine – as they savored dishes like pressed watermelon caprese, sweet tea brined chicken, chili black bean burgers, Hawaiian pork burgers and for dessert: peach and sesame crisp with almond ice cream.
But this idyllic, Coeur d’Alene lunch spot on the lake offers more than good food and a great view. Emery’s is also a classroom, a real-world training ground for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs in North Idaho College’s culinary arts program.
“It would be hard to name a restaurant in the area that an NIC culinary arts student hasn’t worked at,” said Jeff Jenkins, NIC culinary arts and business management instructor. “We have a student who owns Franklin’s in Coeur d’Alene, and another student who owns Messy’s Burgers in Spirit Lake, and he just opened a food truck.”
With a full-service dining room and kitchen, Emery’s, on the second floor of NIC’s Hedlund Building, is open to the public for lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for several weeks each semester. Menus change weekly, offering several items to choose from.
The second-year students assist with menu development each week as they learn about new spices and ingredients. They vet appealing recipes to see if they’re good options for restaurant production.
“Right now, there’s a real push to bring true, authentic, regional dishes to restaurant menus,” Jenkins said.
There is also a deli outside Emery’s that’s open for walk-up customers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The NICularts Deli offers breakfast and lunch items, espresso, sandwiches, salads and soups.
Having a restaurant on campus for students to serve the public creates an outlet for the foods students create, and allows them to learn all aspects of the industry, Jenkins said.
A slice of cheesecake – sweet potato with pecan praline – prepared by North Idaho College culinary arts students.
The program prepares students for job placement in the restaurant business, Jenkins said, but it also positions them so they can work their way up to higher paying jobs in the industry.
Throughout their training, students rotate through various roles in restaurant production, planning, cooking and service.
“The front of the house is really kind of fun, because that’s where students get to work with the guests,” Jenkins said. “Some of them, especially students who enter the program right after high school, have never been in a circumstance where they have interacted directly with the public.”
Emery’s operates as a nonprofit, with all revenue going back into the program to help pay for food and kitchen equipment.
Check the North Idaho Culinary Arts Facebook page or Instagram for weekly menus. For reservations, call 208- 769-7763.
