Deductive Beverage Tasting

          We live in an age where we have a wealth of information at the touch of our fingers, but sometimes it is still fun to play detective and chase down clues.  To capture this sense of adventure, Campus House hosted its first deductive beverage tasting on Thursday, February 20.  This event went far beyond the average beer or wine tasting – it was a game of sleuth for adult beverage aficionados, including red and white wines, sparkling wines, a selection of beers, and for those interested in a slightly stronger libation, a variety of whiskies. 

White wine display

          This event was the first opportunity for the spring semester’s Campus House student staff to strut their stuff and organize an event from start to finish.  The idea was both to test guests’ spirit, wine, and beer knowledge, and to give students the opportunity to get a taste of how such an event comes together.  The event was a team effort that included students Britton Buczkowski and Emily McCabe as the designated managers running the show, along with student concierge Tarrah Devito.

          A small group of students collaborated with Campus House staff to choose the wine, beer, and spirit selections.  They then paired them with appropriate dishes, and orchestrated an evening where the drink analyses flowed seamlessly into a relaxing opportunity for guests to nibble, sip, socialize, and relax. 

Red wine table 

          Each type of beverage showcased three choices, cleverly concealed in brown paper bags.  At each separate tasting table, guests were given clues or tips about the glasses they tasted, but ultimately, they had to rely on their palates to assign the correct name to each beverage selection.  Like any good game, guests received a scorecard on which to write their deductions -- naming enough of the right beverages meant winning prizes. 

Ivena shows off her mystery red

          The red wine table featured three different, yet well known varietals:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc – chosen by student Ivena Ford.  Her information cards gave hints as to which wine was which, but guests had to rely on color, aroma, viscosity, and most of all, taste to pair the wines correctly with their numbers.

          The white wines were all from the grape varietal Sauvignon Blanc, but differed dramatically because of their geographic origins.  Campus House student Courtney Anderson poured selections from New Zealand, California, and France.  Guests tried the wines and attempted to deduce the home regions based on the characteristics listed on the information cards.

Taylor offering sparkling wines.

          The sparkling wines were all styles based on the classic French champagne.  Since champagne is generally the standard against which all other sparkling wines are judged, student Taylor Schmelzer also offered American sparkling and Italian prosecco to see how they stacked up against the French version.

Troy talking up the whiskey selections

Marisa explains the brew choices

          Whiskeys come in many forms and student Troy Benson chose to stump guests with tastes of Irish whiskey, Scotch, Kentucky bourbon.  These classic whiskey styles each have distinct characteristics that set them apart from the others and spirit drinkers were no doubt up for the challenge of identifying them.   

          The beers offered for tasting and deducing were all of the lager variety -- a cold brewed beer style very familiar to even modest beer drinkers.  Student Marisa Baker gave out tastes of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Stella Artois, and Grolsch to see how many guests could pair the right beer to their tasting portion.

          

          Campus House also offered some tasty bites to pair with each type of beverage.  The lineup included lamb and arugula sandwiches on ciabatta for the red wines, smoked salmon and marscapone on cucumbers for the white wines, fried oysters for the sparkling wines, chicken wings with beer, and bacon brownies for the whiskeys.

Smoked salmon canapes

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

Emily and Britton, student managers of the tasting

Ambassador Awards Preview

The weeks leading up to semester’s end see a mounting excitement in the Buffalo State Hospitality & Tourism department.  The hour is getting closer for, not only graduation, but also the annual Ambassador Awards, celebrating individuals within the Buffalo area who have a positive impact on our industry.  This year’s ceremony, the 20^th anniversary of the awards, will take place on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

Recipients of the Hospitality Ambassador Award are recognized for not only their contributions to the hospitality and tourism field, but also for their community involvement at large.  Every award recipient has a Buffalo State connection, and occasionally is even a Buffalo State alumnus.  Each year, from two to four individuals or groups are honored with a reception at the Burchfield Penney Museum and an awards wine dinner at Campus House.

Although this year’s Ambassador Award nominee list is yet to be finalized, event planners are already hard at work, brainstorming and organizing to make 2014 both memorable and successful.  In addition to the awards given to the Hospitality Ambassadors, students are also recognized at the ceremony.  Students nearing graduation are celebrated, as well as those receiving scholarships available through the department.

The planning of the event is the culmination of the hospitality training for many of the upper-level students in the program.  The Campus House student staff also serves as planning committee members -- working together to design the event from its inception, including the year’s theme, colors, and decorations.  Past themes for the awards have reflected concepts important to each year’s graduating class. -- Going Green, Cultural Bridges, New Alliances, and Celebration of the Arts in recent years.

The student planners assist in menu development for the event, researching not only perspective dishes certain to impress, but also appropriate wines to match the chosen dishes.  They use their full range of knowledge acquired through their class experiences to put together an unforgettable night for the recipients and guests.  The menu will reflect the range of talents of the hospitality students, incorporating skills in meat carving, seafood shucking, hors d’oeuvres arrangement, and platter presentation.   

Additionally, students take charge of organizational logistic details and manage the roles and responsibilities of event staff.  Students plan blueprints and layouts for seating and service.  They learn how to budget for projected expenses and account for costs in order to prepare a profit and loss statement.  The planners decide how best to incorporate the vision into promotion of the event.  Students work together with a common goal in mind, employing every teamwork technique at their disposal to ensure the night goes off without a hitch.

Although many events at CampusHouse are focused on club members, the annual Hospitality Ambassador Awards are open to the larger community.  Invitations and save-the-dates are sent out to club members, but anyone interested in attending the awards and dinner may purchase a ticket by contacting Campus House directly.

We hope to see you at this year’s Hospitality Ambassador Awards, where you will experience world-class service.

Weekly specials February 10-14

            This chilly week deserves some heart-warming specials to beat the cold weather blues.  In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Campus House is featuring a selection of dishes nearly guaranteed to warm the heart.

***Fresh cod is topped with a touted aphrodisiac -- crabmeat -- then pan roasted and served over sautéed Brussels sprouts.

*** Grilled petit filet of sirloin is paired with gorgonzola potato pie and asparagus, then enriched with a white truffle demi glace -- the swankiest of gravies.

***Chicken salad gets a spicy Cajun spin -- blackened and served over fresh greens tossed with chickpeas, sundried tomatoes with chipotle honey vinaigrette. This salad feature also takes advantage of a limited-time winter specialty – fresh blood orange segments.

***Ham and Lorraine swiss grilled cheese is the sandwich feature, made even livelier with a raspberry jalapeno jam.

***This week’s soup is a classic Italian favorite - Tuscan white bean, kale & sausage soup.

               

Campus House seeks to stock its bar with a selection of libations, where the focus is on quality.  Often, this means hand selecting small-batch distillery liquors, single vineyard wines, and locally brewed beers.

***The wine feature is a Lambrusco, made by Rinaldini in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.  This Lambrusco is a dry red wine that happens to pair beautifully with many foods, but especially with charcuterie.  The wine is fermented in the old world style, carried on by old Italian family traditions.

***The featured liquor is Domaine de Canton, a ginger-infused cognac, distilled in France with spicy yet delicate fresh baby Vietnamese ginger.  This spirit is complex enough to hold its own as a mixer with a variety of liquors like vodka or whiskey.

***The beer feature has been a staple at Campus House for nearly a dozen years.  Southern Tier’s IPA, from Lakewood, NY, is a hoppy brew that has stood the test of time and remained a house favorite in an era where trendy beers come and go in the blink of an eye.

          Come join us at Campus House, where you will experience world class service.