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.