An Ambassador Awards 2014 Invitation

In less than one month, Buffalo State College’s Hospitality& Tourism department will host its annual Ambassador Awards.  The magic day is Wednesday, April 23^rd.  This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the ceremonies, celebrating local community and industry leaders taking the hospitality business in bigger and better directions.  Twenty years is a big milestone that that is generating lots of excitement, not only on campus, but all throughout the Buffalo area.

Campus House is proud to be a continual organizing force in the awards.  The same groups of student staff who have manned Campus House for lunches and special occasions have also planned and executed various events over the last two decades.  This year’s Ambassador Awards student organizers will once again have a large hand in making the night memorable for past and present award winners alike.  The evening will feature the culinary talent of hospitality students, presenting international cuisine paired with wine.  In addition to the Ambassador Awards presented, Hospitality department student scholarships will also be awarded.

The Ambassador Awards reception at Campus House

The recipients of the 2014 Ambassador Awards are all “Partners in Success” for the hospitality field in Buffalo.  This year’s ceremony at the Burchfield Penney museum and dinner reception at CampusHouse will be happily celebrating two decades of all of the partners in progress from recent years.  Past Ambassador Awards winners are encouraged to attend the 2014 gala and join in the celebration to give the Hospitality & Tourism department and community another well-deserved look at both us and you!

2012 Ambassador Awards recipients and scholarship winners 

The three recipients of the 2014 Ambassador Awards all have a common theme in their respective careers.  Renovation can be both a blessing and a curse for hospitality professionals, but this year’s recipients are making the most of grand renovations affecting each of their professional lives.

Ambassador Awards 2014 recipient Sue Simms, Sous Chef of Wegmans Markets, Inc., on Amherst Street in Buffalo, is smack dab in the middle of structural store renovations, expanding and enhancing both food preparation and café eating areas.

Sue McCartney, PH.D.

Ambassador Awards 2014 recipient Susan McCartney, PH.D., is the director of Buffalo State College’s own Small Business DevelopmentCenter.  The center assists burgeoning or growing local businesses by providing skills in management, budgeting, marketing, and perhaps most importantly, renovating business’ plans, goals, and organizational methods to maximize value and commerce in the Buffalo area.

Mark Mistriner, C.E.C., A.A.C.

Ambassador Awards 2014 recipient Mark Mistriner, C.E.C., A.A.C., is both a culinary professor, and the Business and Hospitality Division chair at Niagara County Community College.  The entire culinary program at NCCC recently underwent sweeping renovations, creating the Niagara Culinary Institute within the college, complete with new cafe facilities, student run food shops, and enhanced culinary teaching labs.  The new program not only prepares students for the field, but also enhances the image of the Niagara Falls tourism region.

Invitations will be mailed shortly for the 2014 Ambassador Awards.  Whether a past recipient, hospitality professional, hospitality student, or simply a supporter of the industry, be sure to save the date!  The program begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23^rd, in the BurchfieldPenney Art Center Auditorium.  The dinner reception at Campus House will immediately follow the ceremony.  Tickets are $40 per person and can be reserved at campushouse@buffalostate.edu .

We look forward to seeing you soon at Campus House.  Whether enjoying a sunny day lunch, after work drink, or the merriment of a special Hospitality event, you can look forward to receiving world-class service.

Campus House Awards reception

Weekly specials March 17-21

Spring fever is running rampant across the Buffalo State College campus as spring break time draws near, so before dreams of vacations completely take over, Campus House wants to give everyone a good send off. That is best accomplished with a list of lunch specials that will lift the spirits and put guests in a spring break state of mind!

Join us at Campus House this week to enjoy the following:

***The soup features include a sprightly spin the classic turkey noodle soup - turkey and fresh vegetables with farro - an ancient whole grain - in a homemade turkey broth.  Campus House is also pleased to offer a gluten free and vegan option - mushroom soup.

***The sandwich special is a delicious version of hot roast beef.  Chef Shetice warms thin-sliced roast beef in au jus and serves it with melted sharp cheddar cheese on a toasted pretzel roll.  

***Fresh fish lovers will rejoice over Jamaican-style fish escovitch, featuring pan seared scarlet snapper, infused with the fragrance of allspice berry so reminiscent of Jamaican food.  The fish is served over brown rice with malt vinegar-pickled tricolor peppers, onions, and a bit of jalapeño for a deliciously mild kick.

***Teriyaki-marinated portabella mushrooms shine in the salad special.  The grilled mushrooms crown the salad that includes greens, bean sprouts, julienne carrots, and snow peas in a zingy teriyaki vinaigrette.  Sesame seeds provide the necessary crunch.  The salad is additionally available with grilled chicken or shrimp.

***Chef Shetice's lobster ravioli smells and tastes even better than it looks (if that's possible!).  She stuffs ravioli with big chunks of lobster and cloaks them in a creamy white wine lobster sauce.  More lobster meat, plus concasse tomatoes and parsley add the final flourishes.

We look forward to seeing you soon at Campus House, where you will receive world-class service.

Happy spring break!

Welcome to Dublin House!

Everything and everyone start getting a little greener come mid-March.  The snow melts just enough to reveal a hope of grass and St. Patrick’s Day revelers adorn themselves in enough green to scare a leprechaun.  Campus House takes a more modest approach to the holiday and celebrates Irish culture through, what else?  The cuisine!

A bustling bar -- always a sign of good times 

Campus House commemorated St. Patrick and all his ensuing festivities with their annual Dublin House event on Thursday, March 13.  Campus House students had the honor of bringing this year’s event to life by planning and choosing appropriately jovial food, drinks, and decoration.  They drew from their varied skills and experiences to plan the logistical aspects of the event as well, including event goals, marketing, and start-to-finish party procedures. 

Guest Gorden Ballard with an ideal Irish beverage

Brittany with a hearty meal

The student planners -- most of them seniors just weeks from graduation -- chose offer a rich Dublin experience for guests.   No detail was too small – even the checks were delivered to the tables with green foil-wrapped Hershey kisses.  Indeed, even the libations offered ran more along the lines of the Nutty Irishman (with Frangelico and Baileys) and the Irish Saint (with Jameson, Noilly Prat, and St. Germaine), rather than the green beer typically guzzled at Irish-themed bashes.

In years past, the Dublin House event was a buffet, but this year the students and staff chose embrace pub-style a la carte service for Dublin House.  Students embraced the challenge of switching formats in order to provide more flexibility and enjoyment for the guests – allowing them to snack and mingle or enjoy a full-blown dinner at their leisure.

Student host & concierge Denise

Samantha, Alexandra, Danielle, and event manager Jen

Students involved in the planning and execution of the Dublin House event were Jen Gelormino (event student manager), Denise Lee (student concierge), Alexandra Melbardis, Brittany Mobley, Samantha Wik, and Danielle Kane.  Each student played a crucial role in the success of the evening.

Guinness & cheese soup

Let us not forget the cuisine of the hour!  The Irish countryside is celebrated for its lush, rolling green hills, known to feed cows producing some of the most incredibly rich cheeses and butters in the world.  The kitchen took full advantage of this and offered a Dubliner cheddar cheese Irish Salad with red cabbage, pickled beets, and a Dijon dill vinaigrette.  The most Irish of beers, Guiness, was featured prominently in the beer cheese soup with pretzel croutons. 

Black & Tan mussels

Once appetites were whetted, diners had the option of enjoying some Black & Tan steamed mussels with fresh herbs & butter.  In addition the menu featured a pan-roasted salmon Reuben sandwich with slaw, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing on rye.  Both the Reuben and a banger (Irish sausage) sandwich came to the tables with house made potato chips.  Not to be forgotten was the classic corned beef & cabbage dinner with carrots and boiled potatoes.

The meal of the hour

Chocolate mini cakes with Baileys whipped cream were offered as a sweet finale – as was Guinness Ice Cream – the perfect match of bitter and sweet. 

Alexandra and Danielle offer a tea selection for dinner

May the luck of the Irish be with you and we hope to see you soon at Campus House, where you will experience world-class service.  Slainte!

Weekly specials March 10-14

          As spring looms closer on the horizon, Campus House is pleased to present its weekly specials in hopes of bringing about a warmer weather state of mind.

***The current soup feature is a velvety roasted onion soup with asiago cheese – a vegan option of this soup is also available.

***The sandwich special is an oldie, but definitely a goodie – hand-carved turkey on a BLT - with crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on toasted sourdough.

***Smoked trout is a decidedly delicious addition to this black pepper fettucine with leeks, sweet peas, and a creamy lemon parmesan sauce that simply smells like spring should taste!

***A sure harbinger of the beautiful warmer weather to come, the salad feature is a refreshing orzo and arugula salad with black beans, sweet corn, scallions, and tomatoes, tossed with white cheddar and a cilantro chili buttermilk dressing – available additionally with grilled chicken or shrimp.

***Last, but most certainly no least, Chef Shetice wows with fresh pan seared sea scallops and a saffron beurre blanc (a fragrant, dreamy butter sauce) over tomato vodka risotto, an elegant spin on the classic Italian-American sauce.

          The Campus House bar strives to showcase unique wines with authenticity of both taste and history, where the flavors can "speak of where they're from."  Wine is an important component of Campus House, so we are excited to announce the arrival of some new bottles of wine that will tickle the fancy of many hungry oenophiles.

***Apollonio is a single winery red wine from Copertino, a district in Puglia, Italy (in the "heel of the boot" region) that uses three indigenous grapes -- negroamaro, montepulciano, and malvasia nera.   These varietals are blended into a wine that is wonderfully earthy, with the mellow aromas of leather and cigars.  This wine would be a great match with grilled meat, especially game.

***Leth, fermented from gruner veltliner -- the primary grape varietal of Austria -- is a deliciously dry and fragrant wine that tastes of citrus and grass.  Its sauvignon blanc-like flavor profile holds its own against richly flavored poultry and fish dishes, as well as asian foods.

***German Stock & Stein (literally, sticks and stones!) is a wonderfully fresh and addictive rose from the pinot noir grape that would happily play counterpart to any cocktail party fare.  Both cheeses and smoked or cured meats would be welcome accompaniments.

          We hope to see you soon at Campus House, where you will experience world-class service.

A Fish Fry to "Get Hooked" on!

The festivities and fun of Phat Tuesday came and went.  Ash Wednesday marked the passage into the season of Lent… So now let the parade of Friday night fish dinners all over Buffalo begin!  This first Friday of Lent marked the grand opening of the fish fry season and Campus House was not about to miss out on the action.

Campus House students and staff hosted their annual Fish Fry event on Friday, March 7, to showcase not only the bounty of the seas, but also to give Hospitality students an opportunity to flex their event planning muscles.  The challenge for the students was two-fold:  to distinguish their Fish Fry event from everyone else’s in town, and to make this particular year’s event memorable in its own way alongside the Campus House Fish Fry events of the past.

Hanna presenting the Fish Fry menu

Students planning the event worked out a “Get Hooked!” theme to drive the menu, décor, and atmosphere.   The fruit of their efforts was a high energy, bustling evening.  Diners enjoyed not only a variety of beer and wine pairings with their dinner selections, but also a classic fish fry match -- sweet tea.  A constant flow of Campus House guests eager to dine was matched only with a steady stream of take out orders of the fish offerings.

Take out orders delivered with a smile 

As most fish fry aficionados will attest, the fish du jour on Fridays is most often haddock.  The Campus House Fish Fry featured the classic fried haddock with slaw and fries or fresh veggies.   Haddock works great for a fish fry because it is firm and mild, but even then, the Campus House kitchen upped the ante and chose to feature cod on the menu as well.  

Melissa shows off the evening's headliner

Cod is slightly denser than haddock and has a clean flavor that is a great match to strong flavors. The kitchen offered pan-roasted cod with wild rice pilaf and a tropical pineapple, mango and avocado salsa for those that needed their dose of Omega-3 with a more upscale spin.

Pan roasted cod & tropical salsa

For diners who wanted to make a proper night out of the event, there was seafood gumbo and house and Caesar salads to whet the appetite.  Far from finished, Campus House also served up mixed berry shortcake martinis and triple layer chocolate cake to ensure that everyone’s night ended on a sweet note.

Shannon as Fish Fry event student manager 

The Campus House students that orchestrated the Fish Fry also played critical roles in staffing the event.  Student Shannon Yokopovich took on the manager’s role for the evening, assisted by students Melissa Wasserman, Trevor Thomas, Johnnishia Rouse, Hanna Ross, and Kyrsten Rossette as servers.  Student Byeosul Kim acted as the event host to welcome diners for the occasion.

Student host Byeosul and server Trevor

Johnnishia offering an appropriate beverage

As proof of a successful evening, “Why don’t we come here more often?” was overheard as happy customers departed Campus House for the evening.   One would be hard pressed to hear a more ringing endorsement for both Campus House and the professional experience-focused Hospitality program.

Hospitality students cook as well as serve

There are just six short weeks left to take full advantage of the official fish fry season -- so enjoy it while you can -- but in the meantime, come join us soon at Campus House, where you will receive world class service.