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Tasting America's Culinary Future at the Heritage Restaurant
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Photos: Cheri Sicard Posted October 10th, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, USA - Grand Rapids' Heritage Restaurant represents the epitome of a win/win situation. Patrons get an elegant haute cuisine meal at a fraction of what it would cost at most fine dining establishments of its caliber. Restaurant chefs and wait staff earn credit towards a degree in culinary arts, culinary management and/or baking and pastry arts. All things being equal, the excellent service, expertly prepared fine food, and creative menus are enough to make The Heritage Restaurant one worth going out of your way to visit. But what really sets this excellent restaurant apart is the fact that it is entirely run by students of the Grand Rapids Community College Hospitality Education Program.

This is a community college program like no other - easily rivaling some of the world's best culinary schools, with world class faculty all stars in their field. Guiding the students are the likes of Angus Campbell, a chef with a culinary pedigree as long as your arm and co-author of the prestigious IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) award winning book - the definitive text book on the subject - Modern Garde Manger.

Kevin Dunn, arguably one of the country's finest vegan chefs, also serves as a chef instructor. That's right, one of the best vegan chefs you're likely to encounter is working in the heart of the Midwest. Kevin's influence keeps about 25% of the menu at The Heritage Restaurant "plant based" a term he finds more appealing to the general public than vegan.

While he personally maintains a vegan lifestyle, it wasn't always so. A health crisis caused Kevin to re-examine his diet. He says he has never felt healthier than he does now, and his blood work proves it. Nonetheless, Dunn considers himself "a chef first, a vegan second." He instructs students in all types of cooking, but when it comes to dishes made with animal products he takes a cue from professional wine experts - he tastes and spits.

Gilles Renussen, whose previous experience includes gigs at Chicago's Four Seasons Ritz Carlton Hotel and Grand Rapids' Amway Grand Hotel heads up the college's pastry department. So breathtakingly artful were the desserts that came out of the kitchen the night we dined at The Heritage Restaurant, they would have been equally as at home in an art museum as they were on a dessert plate. But then we would have missed the wonderful blending of complex flavors and textures that went into the whole dessert package.

Like any fine restaurant, The Heritage Restaurant changes their menu frequently and depends heavily on fresh local, in season provisions. You'll find a nice selection of poultry, meat and seafood selections, along with a surprising number of not just vegetarian but vegan options. Thanks to expert hand of Chef/Instructor Kevin Dunn, even hard core carnivores will enjoy these healthier, but no less flavorful menu choices. For instance, on the menu the night we dined was Portabella Schnitzel - portabella mushroom cutlets, lightly breaded with an almond crust, served with a lemon sauce, braised red cabbage, and chive spatzle.

Each night brings a new fish, pasta and vegan special along with a truly spectacular selection of desserts from Chef Gilles Renussen and his students. As of this writing in 2007, appetizers range from $6.00 to $7.00, salads and soups are just $5.00, and entrees range from $19.00 to $26.00.

In order to encourage restaurant patrons to expand their gustatory horizons, and to increase the student's opportunity to prepare diverse meals, included in the price of each entrée is the choice of an appetizer, soup or salad. The best deal of all is the five course Chef's Tasting Menu. For $36.00 you get to choose a soup, salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert.

The restaurant also offers a nice selection of wines and beer. As wine knowledge is part of the student's education, the staff is quite knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to making wine choices to go with the menu.

It's true, the décor of The Heritage Restaurant is a bit sterile, somewhat akin to a typical Holiday Inn dining room. The food and service, on the other hand, is of a caliber much higher. The trade off for the bargain prices is well worth the lack of ambiance - the staff and cuisine will make you forget about that anyway.

Important Note!!
The Heritage Restaurant's operating times are sporadic at best, depending on whether or not classes are in session, school holidays, etc. Always call ahead to be sure they are open to avoid disappointment.

Excellent Education and Job Placement at Bargain Rates

As the editor of this website, I frequently get emails from readers wanting to know where they should go to pursue their dreams of becoming a chef. For a lot of those folks, the Grand Rapids Community College would be an excellent choice. There are about 600 culinary schools in the United Sates and this program is arguably in the top 10. Everywhere I turned while touring the campus and facilities, I was amazed at the state of the art equipment and 11 teaching kitchens.

Many innovative programs give students a well rounded education. For instance, to give students a more authentic ethnic cooking experience, instructors are not above getting input from students' abuelitas, or babcis, or bubbies (grandmothers), etc.

In order to more assimilate students to the food they are working with, students maintain a thriving all natural, pesticide-free hydroponic garden. This type of gardening not only produces wonderful organic produce, it makes good ecological sense as eight aces of earth garden equals just one acre of hydroponic space.

Ice carving is a popular and fun elective here - so popular in fact that culinary students have to fight fine arts students from nearby universities for class space. A typical beginner project in this class is for students to make giant ice bowling balls and pins. The back loading dock for the college and the Heritage Restaurant turns into a temporary bowling alley - until it all melts, of course.

The Culinary Program at the Grand Rapids Community College currently graduates between 65 to 70 students per year. Those looking to go straight into the workforce need not worry, a whopping 99% of students are placed immediately after graduation (if not before). They offer two year Associate of Arts degree programs in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management, as well as a one year Baking and Pastry Arts certificate.

The best part about the education you'll receive here, other than the quality, is the price. As of this writing in 2007 it costs Michigan residents about $10,000 tuition for the two year program. Out of state and international residents will pay about $26,000. A similar program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) will run in the $50,000 range. Not surprisingly students come here from all over the world.

The Heritage Restaurant and the Hospitality Education Department of the Grand Rapids Community College are located at 143 Bostwick Avenue NE in Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. For more information call 616-234-3696 or click to www.GRCC.edu.

The Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau can help you plan any visits to the area. Call them toll free at 1-877-VISIT-GR or at 616-459-8387 or click to their website www.visitgrandrapids.com.

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