Golden Eagle hosts RCC culinary students

Under the supervision of Chef Hatley Bright, students of Rappahannock Community College’s Culinary Arts program are once again sharing their talents with local diners, using the facilities of the Grille at the Golden Eagle Golf Club in Irvington, Lancaster County. The public is invited to make reservations for dinner on Monday and Tuesday evenings from February 11 through April 22 (excluding March 11 and 12, which fall within RCC’s spring break), at a cost of $23.95 per person. The charge includes an appetizer, salad or soup, an entrée, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, sales tax, and a gratuity. Wine and spirits will be available at an additional charge. “We invite each of you to come and taste for yourself the fine cuisine that Chef Bright has planned for the semester,” says Golden Eagle Grille manager Gayle Nelson.

Each week, a selection of mouthwatering dinners will be prepared. The entrée for February 11 and 12 is a choice of poached salmon with roasted red pepper sauce, or grilled rosemary chicken breast with a lemon buerre blanc; for February 18 and 19, pork burger with bacon marmalade, or turkey chili; for February 25 and 26, chicken and sausage gumbo, or pan-fried pecan-crusted catfish; for March 4 and 5, individual pizza, or linguini with Sicilian pesto; for March 18 and 19, pork chimichurri kebabs, or salmon en papillote; for March 25 and 26, fish and chips with tartar sauce, or chicken pot pie; for April 1 and 2, apricot and bourbon grilled chicken, or roasted pork loin with wild mushroom compote; for April 8 and 9, Chef Bright’s frittata, or lemon soufflé pancakes; and for April 15 and 16, grilled lemon chicken with ratatouille, or shrimp risotto.

The menus for April 21 and 22 have not yet been determined, as those dates have been scheduled as the students’ final exams. On all dates, guests with special dietary needs will be accommodated if at all possible, but their requests must be made by the Friday preceding the Monday or Tuesday dinner reservation. Also, due to varying availability of some menu items, the listed entrees may be replaced with a comparable substitute.

An important part of the Culinary Arts curriculum is learning to prepare, present, and serve food attractively in a restaurant setting. Golden Eagle Grille staff members are happy to have the opportunity to help Chef Bright teach her students these aspects of the food and beverage industry; however, as the students must also learn to purchase appropriate amounts of key ingredients, the restaurant must be able to tell them well in advance how many guests they will be entertaining.

Reservations for the dinner seatings of 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. can be made by calling the Grille at 804-438-6740, Wednesday through Monday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; or e-mail Gayle Nelson at gnelson@tidesinn.com. “If you are interested in attending one or more of these evenings, please call soon,” says Chef Bright, “as they fill up very quickly.”

Photo caption:

Left to right, front row: RCC Culinary Arts students Kristina Kidd, Richmond County; Kurt Schwindt, Gloucester County; Culinary Arts instructor Chef Hatley Bright; and Sarah Lacombe, Gloucester County. Back row, left to right: Jesse Phelps, Middlesex County; Deandre Sidney, Essex County; Alex Anderson, Mathews County; James Kuykendal, Northumberland County; Dervon Dameron, Essex County; and John McDermott, Gloucester County. Not pictured: C.J. Veney, Lancaster County; and Pheletra Hudnall, Northumberland County. Chef Bright’s students will prepare delicious dinners for guests of the Grille at the Golden Eagle Golf Club on Mondays and Tuesdays from February 11 through April 22.