The Student Restaurant at KC Art Institute 10-10

I drove 3 hours to have lunch at The International Art Institute of Kansas City and let me tell you, it was well worth it!! This is where Phil goes to school and will be graduating in March, 2011. The senior class has a semester of running the restaurant that is open to the public for lunch. The student chef's rotate between the different positions of serving/clearing the tables, hostessing/greeting, and the many positions of chef that include soups/appetizers, main entrees, and bread/desserts. Phil just happened to be the dessert chef of the day! This was the table Phil reserved for me! Right in front of the picture window that allowed me to watch the chefs at work.

I got an up close and personal tour of the kitchen. It was so impressive and its so obvious Phil is happy and content in his choice of career. I'm soooo proud of him!! OK, so now I am sitting at my table watching Phil work and taking pictures until my heart is content. I think I took about 51 pics in an hours time : } Here he's preparing the soup of the day which was tomato soup with dill and a frothy cream of sorts dolloped on top. The presentation was beautiful! I would never had thought to put dill in tomato soup [usually its basil] and this was simply luscious!

Phil discussing something about food [I'm sure] with another chef : }

During my lunch, He would come out and just talk or see what I was thinking about "everything". Literally, I LOVED the entire experience and wish with all my heart I lived closer because I certainly would visit this restaurant often. I ordered homemade lemonade and Cioppini, which was a fish stew that had a slice of garlic toast on the side. Loved it! And it just happened to be my Chef's recommendation for the day!

As I'm eating and observing the business of the kitchen, I continued to take pictures. Below Phil is preparing my dessert. I ordered his pumpkin creme brulee' and I got to watch him create it.

Voila'!! He sent out 2 sugared shortbread cookies he had made that were literally to-die-for and a steaming cup of coffee. I could have licked the creme brulee' bowl clean! It is so surreal to think that my son is cooking like this.......I am so very proud of him! : }

So after eating ALL this, and I mean I didn't leave a crumb, I am sitting at the table sipping on the coffee and just was in heaven watching my son "cook" and discuss things with all the other chefs. The chef with the white hat that stands tall is the Instructor [on the left]. All the student chefs wear white hats that lean over.

He's now preparing chocolate souffle's.


And before I know it, the Instructor Chef comes out and serves me "another" dessert saying, "Compliments of the Dessert Chef". I look up and there is my Phil looking at me with this huge beautiful smile on his face! He made me a miniature chocolate souffle' with a vanilla cream poured into the center of it. Well, I just "had" to eat the whole thing! : }

I had a day a mother dreams about. Thank you my son for inviting me and sharing your love of cooking. You really are a "Foodie" and I absolutely love discussing recipes with you and being able to call you and ask cooking questions. God is so good and blesses those who have patience : }