Couples Make It Together Forever

Guided by second-year culinary management students, couples are cooking Valentine’s Day meal together at Loyalist College. Photo by Gabrielle Smith, Loyalist Photojournalism

By Gabrielle Smith

BELLEVILLE – Love was in the air at Loyalist College last Saturday afternoon.

Guided by second-year culinary management students, 13 couples made Valentine’s Day dinners at Club 213’s Make It Together Forever event.

The students coached them through the four-step experience of preparing a gourmet meal. The couples alternated in groups through the front of house, appetizer, line (main course), and bakeshop, guided by second-year students, to prepare their Valentine’s meal.

At the end of the afternoon, each couple left with a gift basket, a collection of culinary tips from soon-to-be culinary graduates, and a three-course meal of mushroom, spinach and goat cheese-stuffed heart-shaped puff pastries, apple-stuffed chicken or pork with potato gallette and green beans, and chocolate ganache tarts with chocolate tuxedo strawberries for dessert.

Sue Whitby came to the event with Gary Whitby, her husband of 17 years. She found out about the event through Club 213, the culinary program’s restaurant, which the couple frequents and refers to as “the best-kept secret in town.”

“I just wanted something different to do on Valentine’s Day rather than the same old going for dinner.

“It was great! We enjoyed ourselves. I hope they do it again and more people get involved.”

Make it Together Forever was part of the students’ event management class, and Selena Martin, student-appointed chair of the event, said her classmates worked hard to arrange every aspect of the day.

“We have had every input – from the idea of the event to what’s going to be served, to what it’s going to cost, to what it’s going to look like in the dining room. We were told, ‘OK, we’re going to do something for Valentine’s Day. Plan an event – go,’ so that’s what we did,” she said.

Despite the minor hiccups of any first-time event, the students pulled together. The guests left with smiles on their faces and a hand-made gourmet meal in hand, and got to walk through two lines of cheering culinary students and staff on their way out of the dining room.

Martin said she would love to see the event continue into next year, potentially becoming an annual event.

“I think this year was a great success and people really enjoyed it, so hopefully we’ll have more people show up next time and it will be more organized,” she said.