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Latte: |
Cappuccino:
Contrary to belief, cappuccinos can only be served hot due to the temperature needed to be reached in order to create enough dry froth for the drink. An 'iced cappuccino' is essentially a latte since cappuccinos have more froth as opposed to steamed milk. Since you need the froth from the milk, you must steam the milk up to 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit to produce the froth. A cappuccino consists of 1 part espresso, 1 part steamed milk, and 1 part milk froth.
-What is a 'wet' latte versus a 'dry' latte?-
What makes a wet latte 'wet' is the amount of foam there is when steaming the milk. If a customer were to ask for a 'wet latte', the Barista would prepare his or her frothing pitcher with more milk as opposed to preparing a 'dry latte'. A dry latte is 'dry' due to there being less liquid milk in the drink as there is milk froth. The less milk you prepare the frothing pitcher with, the less heat it takes for the milk to start frothing. Once it hits 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit, there would be more froth.
It’s Friday night and your boss takes you out for a team dinner. Your server kindly hands you the wine list and your mind starts to race. You don’t want to embarrass yourself by mispronouncing that ‘Gewürztraminer’ that is suggested as the wine pairing with your Moroccan dish, so you take the easy route and order the Malbec. Not only does this pairing clash in tastes but it also does you a disservice for not complimenting the dish’s flavor. This blog post is to help alleviate some of that pressure so you know what kind of wines pair well with certain dishes!
RED WINES:
Syrah (Shiraz): | Pinot Noir: |
WHITE WINES:
Riesling: |
Chardonnay: |
Between the time of entering a restaurant and the time one exits, that feeling of extraordinary hospitality lingers with each and every one of us. Whether you are dining at yours truly, Vita Nova, or at a café in Volterra, Italy, the dining experience will always will be impacted differently according to your surroundings and environment. Different countries have different dining cultures that can effect the whole meal. For example, in the U.S., servers are typically expected to touch base with their table and guests to see if everything is going fine and if there is anything he or she can do to enhance their meal or experience there. The average time spent seated at a casual dining facility is roughly about 60 minutes. This was contrary to the dining experience my friend Claudia experienced in Florence, Italy. When asked about what her favorite aspect of Italian dining v.s. American dining, she said "The wine at dinner and just the feeling of never being rushed! You had to ask for the bill and meals were almost three hours long!" If there was one thing that Claudia could change about American dining, it would be that "American dining should be more relaxed and broken down into courses. It makes you appreciate the family aspects of dining together." For my personal experience studying abroad this past winter in South Africa, we had the fortunate opportunities to dine at Cape Town's finest seafood restaurants. These scenic restaurants had outdoor patios where you and a group of 5 friends could enjoy a signature kingklip and seafood medley platter while watching personal cruise ships float across the bay during a beautiful 6:30 pm sunset. When it came to service, we felt like we were royalty. We had 4 servers who seemed like they were in the restaurant industry for 20 years tending to our table of 6. Not only did they make us feel welcomed, they made us feel special and unique compared to everyone else around us. By the time we had finished our meal, our server and all 6 of us were on a first name basis! I genuinely cannot remember the last time I felt as though I had made a friend after expecting to just get dinner at a restaurant. If you decide you want to enjoy an adventure packed vacation in New Zealand or a relaxing and history filled tour through any European country, the hospitality is going to make or break your trip. That is why I as a hospitality business management student strive to learn as much as I can about impeccable hospitality and service. |
This semester has had a lot of unique challenges, and one of the days when a lot of external factors had me feeling pretty low, I knew that, regardless, at 3:30pm I needed to suit up and show up- to recite the “spiel” and serve wine to the guests as Student wine Sommelier. There was something about offering free samples of wine, really learning about them, and being on the floor that ended up brightening my day- I felt like in a small way I was spreading a little joy in a world that seemed pretty dark.
One of the ways a fine dining establishment is set apart from others’ is the extensiveness of the wine list and beverage menu. Certainly you find many more options at a place like vita nova rather than any fast casual or even casual restaurant nearby. If you have dined with us or worked there, you have certainly heard that, “Here at Vita Nova we offer an extensive beverage selection including 100 wines by the bottle and 20 by the glass.” What that means is that all of our knowledge coming from our other hospitality classes, such as beverage management, come into play when we are on the floor- wine sommeliers or not.
One of the ways a fine dining establishment is set apart from others’ is the extensiveness of the wine list and beverage menu. Certainly you find many more options at a place like vita nova rather than any fast casual or even casual restaurant nearby. If you have dined with us or worked there, you have certainly heard that, “Here at Vita Nova we offer an extensive beverage selection including 100 wines by the bottle and 20 by the glass.” What that means is that all of our knowledge coming from our other hospitality classes, such as beverage management, come into play when we are on the floor- wine sommeliers or not.
Although it certainly takes commitment on the students’ end to memorize the weekly featured wine descriptions, what we come out with is at least a conceptual knowledge of a certain style of wine that we can then apply to other descriptions. While studying the wines of the “New World” for our Court of Master Sommeliers level one test, I knew that Barossa was in Australia because I had to describe our Chateau Tununda Cabernet Sauvignon from that region. When you pay attention, all experiences in the beverage world helps to render you a more competent food service professional.
One of my favorite memories of applying this knowledge was when I was student wine sommelier one Thursday night for a table of two ladies. After tasting the featured wines, one asked if we had Moscato on our wines by the glass menu. I explained that we did not, but I happened to remember there was a White Zinfandel, another sweet, easy-drinking wine, although rose, and made a recommendation to her. She tried this new wine and liked it so much she got a glass of it for her meal. In this situation, knowing just a little about flavors and having knowledge of the wine list allowed me to make a sale when otherwise she may have been disappointed in our wine selection. This not only generated more revenue for the restaurant but also brightened the customer’s experience.
One of my favorite memories of applying this knowledge was when I was student wine sommelier one Thursday night for a table of two ladies. After tasting the featured wines, one asked if we had Moscato on our wines by the glass menu. I explained that we did not, but I happened to remember there was a White Zinfandel, another sweet, easy-drinking wine, although rose, and made a recommendation to her. She tried this new wine and liked it so much she got a glass of it for her meal. In this situation, knowing just a little about flavors and having knowledge of the wine list allowed me to make a sale when otherwise she may have been disappointed in our wine selection. This not only generated more revenue for the restaurant but also brightened the customer’s experience.
This joy that comes from giving a taste of wine, informing and educating guests, and selling something that the guest will really enjoy all comes together in a successful food and beverage program. In this case, it’s not about selling quantity, but rather quality and enjoyment, just like each of our dishes in the 4-course dinner menu aim to provide. Then, the quantity follows, because of course people want to enjoy high quality products in Vita Nova.
I came to college knowing that I wanted to study hospitality management, and now three and a half years later I am two weeks away from getting my degree. The more I learn about food and wine and all other beverages, the better service I can deliver, the more numerous customers whose evenings I can brighten, and the more confident I can be as I pursue my restaurant management training and career. And when the days get hard, there are always things to learn and samples of wine to taste. For that I am grateful.
Written By: Jenna Pekofsky
I came to college knowing that I wanted to study hospitality management, and now three and a half years later I am two weeks away from getting my degree. The more I learn about food and wine and all other beverages, the better service I can deliver, the more numerous customers whose evenings I can brighten, and the more confident I can be as I pursue my restaurant management training and career. And when the days get hard, there are always things to learn and samples of wine to taste. For that I am grateful.
Written By: Jenna Pekofsky
Vita Nova prides itself on the success of the students both in the restaurant labs and out in their professional lives. The Vita Nova experience leaves the students with a full understanding of restaurant operations along with time management skills and an ability to work with others. In every restaurant lab, select students take on the role of Aramark Scholars where they aid and guide the students in either the front or back of the house. This provides a leadership opportunity where students gain first hand experience in managing others.
Victoria Bailor has been an Aramark Scholar at Vita Nova for three semesters now. She will be greatly missed by the Vita Nova team as she is graduating this winter. Looking back at her experience as an Aramark Scholar, she had nothing but positive memories to share and hopeful outlooks for the future.
How did you feel when you found out you were chosen to be an Aramark Scholar?
I have always had a passion for food and cooking. When coming to the University of Delaware I had already had previous experience in working in the kitchen. My previous hard work truly paid off when I was asked by Chef Joe DiGregorio to become a scholar for the lunch lab and now, for the dinner lab. I was extremely honored that such a talented chef had recognized my efforts and wanted me to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity.
What extra opportunities does this program give you the chance to do?
As this is my third and final semester as an Aramark scholar, I find this position has added a great deal of worth to the time I have spent at the University. I have learned many new skills that I will use in my future career in the industry through being an Aramark Scholar. Having participated in this distinguished program, I will have additional experience that I would have not gained during my college career otherwise.
What is your favorite thing about cooking or baking?
My favorite things about cooking is not only the creativity of making the food itself, but also when I look out into the dining room and see the guests enjoying the food I have made. In the hospitality industry we all have a strong passion for people and I love when something I have done or created makes people happy.
When did you realize you wanted to be in the food industry? What inspired you?
I have always had a love and interest in cooking but never knew how much I would enjoy the management side of the restaurant industry. After my first semester at the University, I knew I had made the right decision when choosing the incredible HRIM program we have here at UD. Through my time at the University, I have learned so much about hospitality and I know when starting my career in the industry I will be doing something that I love and have a passion for.
What do you hope to do as a career in the food industry?
After graduating this winter, I hope to continue as a manager in the restaurant industry. In the long term I would like to take the experience and skills I have learned in Vita Nova and at the University of Delaware to own a successful restaurant company.
How did you feel when you found out you were chosen to be an Aramark Scholar?
I have always had a passion for food and cooking. When coming to the University of Delaware I had already had previous experience in working in the kitchen. My previous hard work truly paid off when I was asked by Chef Joe DiGregorio to become a scholar for the lunch lab and now, for the dinner lab. I was extremely honored that such a talented chef had recognized my efforts and wanted me to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity.
What extra opportunities does this program give you the chance to do?
As this is my third and final semester as an Aramark scholar, I find this position has added a great deal of worth to the time I have spent at the University. I have learned many new skills that I will use in my future career in the industry through being an Aramark Scholar. Having participated in this distinguished program, I will have additional experience that I would have not gained during my college career otherwise.
What is your favorite thing about cooking or baking?
My favorite things about cooking is not only the creativity of making the food itself, but also when I look out into the dining room and see the guests enjoying the food I have made. In the hospitality industry we all have a strong passion for people and I love when something I have done or created makes people happy.
When did you realize you wanted to be in the food industry? What inspired you?
I have always had a love and interest in cooking but never knew how much I would enjoy the management side of the restaurant industry. After my first semester at the University, I knew I had made the right decision when choosing the incredible HRIM program we have here at UD. Through my time at the University, I have learned so much about hospitality and I know when starting my career in the industry I will be doing something that I love and have a passion for.
What do you hope to do as a career in the food industry?
After graduating this winter, I hope to continue as a manager in the restaurant industry. In the long term I would like to take the experience and skills I have learned in Vita Nova and at the University of Delaware to own a successful restaurant company.
Similar to Victoria, several students have the opportunity to experience what it is like to be an Aramark Scholar. As an Aramark Scholar myself, there is not doubt that these experiences provide ample benefits for the future as well as a greater appreciation for the restaurant industry.
Sometimes in Vita Nova, we question the system. We wonder, “Why 26 steps of service?” “Why this spiel in this exact script?” and we are not always granted a clear answer other than because it’s the way it is done. When it comes down to it though, by living through experiences that inform our own opinions about management, we, as students, learn more about becoming better managers ourselves. The author Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, “And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far into the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer” (Letters to a Young Poet). We are required to go through this learning experience for a number of reasons, perhaps the greatest of which is to live through those questions we do have that exist outside of our comfort zones so that we can get closer to the answers that are in integrity with our own management styles.
In Vita Nova, we are completing the ultimate group project without all of the common invalidators of a normal class project. Our schedule is set, so we don’t have to try to coordinate 10 people to meet at once, and we are working together in real time for real results, so chances are, if you don’t pull your weight, everyone suffers for it and it motivates us all to help each other out. We all do every position (more or less) so there is a great level of empathy and understanding amongst the team to help explain and support, since we’ve all been there before and know how frustrating it is. This means that we get genuine teamwork experience as well as experience explaining, coaching and supporting- all vital management skills.
A common theory utilized in most manager training is to have future managers work, at least for some time, in each department that they will oversee so that they can fully understand what the labor entails, experience the social dynamics, and be able to help out in a sticky situation. Whether going on to manage a restaurant or not, it is a humbling experience to be a dishwasher for the night. Here, as we move through the rotation of Vita Nova roles, we can see the pros and cons as well as standards with which we agree and disagree in each area. From having an independent person to serve bread, to having a captain and front server partnership for waiting tables, and even limiting each server to only delivering one plate each. We are called to embrace a new script each day, a new perspective in the restaurant each time we begin a shift, and a new appreciation (or frustration) for whatever lies in store.
This brings me to my final piece of management that we get from Vita Nova, whether everyone recognizes it or not. Each day, especially when entering a hospitality job where we are dealing with people and working to create an enjoyable experience for others, we have a choice of what attitude to adopt. Even if the day prior was hard, we can choose to start anew when we enter the wooden doors or we can choose to let this job add burden onto our shoulders. As students, we have a lot on our plates, and yes, Vita Nova is a huge time commitment. However, chances are we will continue our busy lifestyles and long hours into our careers. Even though we are not explicitly taught that perspective entering the job can affect everyone we encounter, through this experience if we take the time to observe, it becomes quite evident. Even if Vita Nova is a “controlled” restaurant environment, the abstract ideas are still as relevant as ever. I appreciate the opportunity to learn in a different way the kind of person I really want to be with a team of colleagues- now on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for 6 to 8 hours, and then 5 days a week for at least 10 hours in my future career.
Written By: Jenna Pekofsky
In Vita Nova, we are completing the ultimate group project without all of the common invalidators of a normal class project. Our schedule is set, so we don’t have to try to coordinate 10 people to meet at once, and we are working together in real time for real results, so chances are, if you don’t pull your weight, everyone suffers for it and it motivates us all to help each other out. We all do every position (more or less) so there is a great level of empathy and understanding amongst the team to help explain and support, since we’ve all been there before and know how frustrating it is. This means that we get genuine teamwork experience as well as experience explaining, coaching and supporting- all vital management skills.
A common theory utilized in most manager training is to have future managers work, at least for some time, in each department that they will oversee so that they can fully understand what the labor entails, experience the social dynamics, and be able to help out in a sticky situation. Whether going on to manage a restaurant or not, it is a humbling experience to be a dishwasher for the night. Here, as we move through the rotation of Vita Nova roles, we can see the pros and cons as well as standards with which we agree and disagree in each area. From having an independent person to serve bread, to having a captain and front server partnership for waiting tables, and even limiting each server to only delivering one plate each. We are called to embrace a new script each day, a new perspective in the restaurant each time we begin a shift, and a new appreciation (or frustration) for whatever lies in store.
This brings me to my final piece of management that we get from Vita Nova, whether everyone recognizes it or not. Each day, especially when entering a hospitality job where we are dealing with people and working to create an enjoyable experience for others, we have a choice of what attitude to adopt. Even if the day prior was hard, we can choose to start anew when we enter the wooden doors or we can choose to let this job add burden onto our shoulders. As students, we have a lot on our plates, and yes, Vita Nova is a huge time commitment. However, chances are we will continue our busy lifestyles and long hours into our careers. Even though we are not explicitly taught that perspective entering the job can affect everyone we encounter, through this experience if we take the time to observe, it becomes quite evident. Even if Vita Nova is a “controlled” restaurant environment, the abstract ideas are still as relevant as ever. I appreciate the opportunity to learn in a different way the kind of person I really want to be with a team of colleagues- now on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for 6 to 8 hours, and then 5 days a week for at least 10 hours in my future career.
Written By: Jenna Pekofsky
Every semester, Vita Nova collaborates with the Arts and Sciences Department at UD to showcase beautiful pieces of artwork in the Bistro. This semester the work of Emad "Jano" Hemede, the College of Arts and Sciences’ current international artist in residence, is featured.
Jano was born and raised in Syria and came to the United States after the war began in 2011. He started his career as a painter and sculptor running a small gallery in Damascus, the capital of Syria. In his latest work he uses a water-based acrylic paint to symbolize the beauty of life as water is extremely limited in Syria and could be quite difficult to find. His artwork is a representation of his thoughts and wonders about the United States and his hopes for his home country in the future.
Jano's paintings are an excellent addition to the Vita Nova Bistro as their bright colors and immaculate details give life to the space while creating conversations about the stories behind each piece.
Jano's paintings are an excellent addition to the Vita Nova Bistro as their bright colors and immaculate details give life to the space while creating conversations about the stories behind each piece.
The Students
The students of the Hospitality Business Management program at the University of Delaware share their experiences at Vita Nova
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