My local community college has a Culinary Arts department with (I believe) a full commercial kitchen. Over the years it has been run by some highly trained instructors, although I don’t know who the current instructor is. Every semester, the second year program students take over to offer lunches once or twice a week. They take turns between FOH and BOH. The menus change weekly, and the class has a lot of input into what they make for the week, with two entree selections and two appetizer selections. Meals include beverages (non-alcoholic) and dessert.
We’ve gone a couple of times, and the food is of pretty high quality, although sometimes there are stumbles. Once, for instance, the portions were inconsistent. One entree was substantial, while the other was pretty meager. Tasted good, just not enough of it. Service is what you’d expect from late teens/early 20s who may never have worked food service before: Panicked looks on their faces, a lot of aimless wandering the small dining room as they try to remember what they’re supposed to do and what tables ordered which dish. It’s kind of cute and charming watching them learn on the fly, and we always treat them with utmost kindness and offer encouragement and praise to help them get their careers off to a good start.
No walk-ins, reservations only. The website isn’t kept up-to-date very well, so often there’s no telling what the actual menu choices will be. For instance, as of today, the menu on the website is from April 2025. Parking at the college is available ($2-3/day, IIRC), but it’s a bit of a walk from the nearest parking lot.
If you know ahead of time you’ll be in Stockton for lunch, give them a try. It’s a worthwhile program, and usually a fair value for the money. And I seem to recall that the students pool and share all the tips.
