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April 10, 2007
Gourmet Experience in Lubbock
Skyviews Restaurant is an opportunity to gain restaurant experience and enjoy a great meal.
Written by Gretchen Pressley
A view of the wrap-around windows in Skyviews.
Click to enlarge.
As the elevator doors slide open on the sixth floor of the Bank of America building, the intoxicating smell of gourmet food wafts through the air. The walls are dark and cozy, but the wrap-around windows display a bright panorama of Lubbock in all directions. A meal in Skyviews restaurant is about to begin.
In this posh atmosphere, Texas Tech students, like Jacquie Kutscher, are only beginning their training in restaurant management. Yet these talented beginners still present a professional and delicious feast to all who enter through their doors.
Skyviews is a student-run restaurant where Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management students gain experience cooking, waiting tables and getting a glimpse of what running a restaurant is all about, says Kutscher, a current RHIM student. Students plan, prepare and serve meals throughout the semester.
“My experience at Skyviews was a blast,” Kutscher says. “I really had a lot of fun working and getting to know all parts of the restaurant. I was laughing through most of my labs and getting class credit for it. Most of all, working at Skyviews allowed me to get to know my fellow students outside of the traditional classroom.”
RHIM students prepare the lunch buffet behind the scenes in the Skyviews kitchen.
Though already famous in Lubbock, Skyviews made national news in a television broadcast from the “Texas Country Reporter,” a program that runs on 24 stations across Texas and nationally on RFD-TV, an agricultural and rural living network.
Learning the Trade
At Skyviews, RHIM students are in charge of setting the tables, vacuuming the restaurant, polishing silverware and glasses, preparing the kitchen for lunch and dinner, decorating the rooms, waiting tables and setting up the restaurant for service.
Aspiring restaurant chefs and managers working at Skyviews also take turns preparing the intricate meals. Lunch comes with a trip to the plentiful salad bar, a trip to the buffet, and of course, dessert. The buffet is filled with different foods depending on the day of the week.
“Skyviews is one of a kind,” Kutscher says. “There is no other restaurant in Lubbock that serves as a classroom as well. I think Skyviews is popular because people truly enjoy getting to know us as students.”
The eatery presents flavors and tastes of foods from around the world, including wine-pairing dinners. Each week the dinner menu selections reflect different international or regional cuisines. For April, menus include cuisines from Italy and Brazil.
“The themed Dinner Series are unique to Lubbock and change every week during the year,” Kutscher says. “The food – both quality and taste – is really good as well.”
The Grand Chefs of the Gourmet Feast
The chefs, waiters and hosts at Skyviews all participate in the RHIM program at Texas Tech as majors or minors.
As part of the RHIM program at Texas Tech, students have many opportunities to experience restaurant and hotel management first-hand at laboratory activities involving hotels, food production and computers, and with positions at the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute.
Two guests look at the Dinner Series menu.
The labs include working at the Rawl’s Golf Course clubhouse, a local hotel, Skyviews, and tours of local restaurants, hospitals and businesses in the Lubbock area. The program also has an internship program that is very popular with the students.
“My RHIM degree has helped me to understand both the business and logistics of the restaurant and hotel industry,” Kutscher says. “Most of all, my RHIM degree taught me that without hard work, dedication and passion, my goals will not be met with success.”
The program requires majors and minors to experience a broad range of jobs within the industry prior to graduation. Students receive assistance and advice when attempting to secure a post-graduation position after completing the program. According to the RHIM Web site, over 85 percent of students get hired prior to graduation and every graduate who is seriously seeking employment finds a position.
“The RHIM faculty and staff are always available to offer real-world advice because they have been in our shoes,” Kutscher says. “The RHIM courses are enjoyable and full of useful information. My impression of the RHIM program is that no program or major on campus works harder in preparing students for the real world.”
At $9.50 + tax, here is just a sample of a typical lunch buffet menu.
French Onion Soup
Gravlox Station – smoked Salmon
Spicy Thai Shrimp with Asian Noodles
Tenderloin medallions with wild mushrooms, sweet
greens and roasted red peppers and cilantro butter
Au Gratin Potatoes
Sauteed Zucchini
Creamy Mozzarella Polenta
Mixed vegetables
Chocolate Tartlet with Candied Citrus Fruit
Dulce de Leche Napoleons
Call today for reservations! 744-7462
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.
Photography by Artie Limmer
Web layout by Gretchen Pressley