Culinary Arts program has been around for over 15 years, they have since expanded its offerings across campus including Student Chef offering fine dining meals in Danner and food pantry workshops showing students how to prepare meals on a budget.
They also offer $5 meals in the cafeteria, letting them “prepare fresher choices for the campus at a reasonable price,” said Culinary Arts Chef Instructor, Mark Berkner.
Amy Phan adding finishing touches before sending out meal. 
Chef Mark Berkner demonstrating to students the plating of chocolate cake dessert. 
Students (left to right) Amy Phan, Bailey Poole, Hailey Agnew, and Nick Rossi on the line during lunch service.
Throughout the program, students learn about sanitation, the preparation of food, menu planning, cost control and management.
While there are several classes to take to receive the appropriate degrees/certificates, Cul Art 9/19 seems to be the most thrilling, yet demanding of all.
In these two courses, students run a restaurant better known as Student Chef.
At Student Chef, anyone can take a seat and enjoy a wonderful lunch, put together by the students themselves.
“It can be chaotic at times, but it feels like a real job,” said Austin Brotherton, current Culinary Arts major.
From servers to runners to the back of the house, every position is occupied by a student.
On the menu you can find dishes like:
- Crispy brussel sprouts: lemon garlic aioli, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinegar reduction
- Warm mushroom salad: dragon mushroom farms, dry farmed potatoes, leek, greens, gorgonzola, and dijon vinaigrette
- Delta burger: sesame seeded bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayonnaise and mustard served with a side of french fries
- Lamb meatballs: chickpea, Moroccan spices, tomato – carrot ribbon & mixed herbs salad with dollops of lemon yogurt
- Chocolate, chocolate cake: vanilla cream, blackberry sauce and chocolate gelato
Winter Citrus Sorbet Trio: local Meyer lemon, ruby grapefruit and blood orange sorbet with candied citrus peel 
Roasted beet and orange salad: local gold, red beets, Cara Cara orange, fennel, arugula, Sierra Nevada Creamery feta cheese 
Crispy brussel sprouts: lemon garlic aioli, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinegar reduction 
Chocolate, chocolate cake: vanilla cream, blackberry sauce and chocolate gelato 
Smoked chicken fettuccine: preserved tomato, spinach, onion, mushroom, squash and house made pasta
On top of running Student Chef, students are also reaching out to fellow students and teaching them how to use food pantry ingredients at home.
Providing demonstrations using ingredients the food pantry has available so students can “get their full nutrients” is the main goal of Food On the Fly, according to Culinary Arts student Christian Has.
If running Student Chef and planning demonstrations using the food pantry wasn’t enough, the Culinary Arts students are also catering meals for $5.
“It is a great way to show others how to build a balanced meal out of items that are available in the pantry,” said Berkner.
Has added, “President Pourzanjani wants something cheap and accessible for the students.
Some of the past $5 meals include:
- Loco Moco: white rice, beef patty, brown gravy topped with an over easy egg
- Eggplant Napoleon: stack of eggplant layered with spinach, roasted peppers, and goat cheese, on basil pesto and white beans
- Shakshuka: poached eggs, tomato sauce, olive oil, peppers, onion, garlic and spices with a toasted piece of bread
On Wednesday afternoons, any left over food gets packaged by the students and deliver meals to the food pantry.
Stop by Danner Hall to check out the $5 meals or Student Chef on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow Delta’s Instagram @sjdeltacollege for updates on upcoming Food On the Fly.
