Drexel Culinary Students Take Over Kitchen At Le Bec Fin For A Night
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Dinner was by Drexel last night, guided by the regular kitchen staff, at one of Philadelphia's most famous French restaurants on Walnut Street in Center City.
Le Bec Fin Chef de Cuisine Steve Eckerd opened his kitchen to ten culinary students from Drexel University to serve a collaborative seven-course dinner to dozens of customers Tuesday night.
"It still has the identity of Le Bec Fin but with some aspects of the student's ideas."
Before creating the special menu, the students accompanied Chef Eckerd on a foraging field trip to the Headhouse Farmer's Market in Society Hill, followed by a visit to Quarry Hill Farm in Harleysville.
Drexel's culinary arts program director Jonathan Deutsch says it was a big risk for Le Bec Fin to feed the general public, including its regulars and those who heard about it in the blogosphere, with a big portion coming from the hands of the student team.
"It's a great learning opportunity for our students to have this real world experience as part of their classroom, but in a supportive environment."
The second-in-command in Le Bec Fin's kitchen, the Sous-chef, as well as its Chef de partie and other station chefs also supervised the culinary students.
We caught up with Drexel student Noah Williams as he was chopping up parsnips.
"I think it's an amazing opportunity to work in such a high level fine dining restaurant."
