On Thursday, April 23, Kent State University’s Culinary Services held its first annual Golden Experience, bringing fine dining to the Kent student population.
The event took place in the DI Dining Hub, which was transformed into a beautiful restaurant where attendees were seated by the culinary staff and given menus filled with exquisite meal options.
“I pretty much had this vision to bring in a fine dining catering experience to students and faculty,” said Jacob Kuehn, senior director of Culinary Services. “This was a partnership with our catering team that manages off site catering and events … they’re very well versed in an event like this where we’re going to have linen and the full experience. And of course, all you care to eat, which is the college experience. We do our best to elevate that every day and bring different options.”
The Golden Experience began around 4:30 p.m., and it was open to both Kent State students and faculty. Each table was adorned with dark blue linen table cloth and topped off with a yellow and white floral arrangement in the center of the table. Each station within the DI Dining Hall became a hub for extravagant dishes associated with a fine dining experience. Additionally, the Golden Experience also had additional stations added to the hub where dessert and mock-tails were being served to attendees.
“We wanted to do this event to give back to the students,” Kuehn said. “We also wanted to bring more value to the meal plans. We don’t want students to feel like they paid too much for a meal plan, and all they get is chicken nuggets. So when we bring in aspects of special events, like for example the pancake study break next week. That’s a special event where we feed over a thousand people for that event. And students appreciate that. They see it as fun and engaging. So we’re trying to design, and be more intentional with these special events.”
The Golden Experience required all attendees to use one meal swipe in addition to paying 10 dollars for the event. According to Kuehn, given the menu options offered, the price to enter the Golden Experience was more than reasonable to the student population. This includes offering usually expensive meals like crab cakes, filet mignons and lobster sauce.
“If this menu was offered in a hotel, this would probably cost $120 per person,” Kuehn said. “It’s really bringing that value to the student meal plan. So they recognize the value, and they’ll want to continue dining with us because they trust us with their food everyday, and then they see events like this that are just extra in the wow factor.”
The Golden Experience wrapped up around 8:00 p.m., prompting the culinary staff to start preparing to bring the DI Dining back to its ordinary form. No more amuse-bouche for students before they walk in to be seated. No more cooked-to-order steak waiting to be served with lobster sauce, but a long-lasting memory of an evening full of extraordinary taste and elegance.
Kuehn hopes to bring the event back in some capacity for the foreseeable future.
“Planning for the future, I envision groups of six or eight or 10, maybe then smaller groups of four, and maybe even people using this event as an inexpensive date night with a significant other,” Kuehn said. “I see them using this time to just be together with people you love. Your significant other, or your family, colleagues, friends at the end of the semester. I see this as a time where students that are about to graduate can come together, and have a great meal before they leave.”
Ava Dunn is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
