NSU Bistro offers community taste of Louisiana’s finest cuisine

The young chefs at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University opened their Bistro to the public to give other a taste of Louisianan cuisine with influences from abroad.

Culinary professors Don Kasten, dining manager, and William Thibodeaux, kitchen manager, are helping the students pursue a career in the culinary arts. Thibodeaux is responsible for the preparation of the food and Kasten is responsible for the front-house service.

“This requires a balance of academic and practical preparation. The students at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute are required to complete a 360-hour paid externship at the end of the sophomore year, and again following the senior year,” Kasten said. “This is the last block course that the student will participate in before graduation.”

The dining manager said the Bistro has been a component of the NSU culinary education since the program began in 1996. They must be able to manage and operate their own student Bistro, he said.

This is Kasten’s third semester at NSU.

He said it is standard for any culinary school to have a restaurant that is open to the public on a regular basis. It is the only way for students to truly experience what it is like to work in a restaurant.

“Once a week, the Bistro is open to the parents, faculty and community. Before, it was open twice a week, but we decided to cut back on the schedule because the strain it put on the students,” he said.

With little assistance from the professors, each week the students are given a culinary theme. They have to prepare all of the menus and meals for the Bistro. The last theme of the semester was Scandinavian cuisine.

“The students search the Internet or cookbooks to find recipes that will fit the theme they have been given. We approved all their recipes. The students write all of their requisitions and do all the preparations for the Bistro for that day,” Kasten said. “They organize the kitchen, the workloads and the production schedule.”

The largest seating arrangement the students have served this semester has been more than 60 people, which was part of a new American service, meaning staggered seating, he said.

When preparing for the weekly opening of the Bistro, each student is given a leadership position throughout the semester. They each get a chance to lead the class, which requires them to do most of the planning for the Bistro.

“This is exciting for the students,” Kasten said.

“If we have students that mainly work in the back of the house making the food, we try to give them a leadership position in the front of the house. We like to give them an opportunity to work with the public. This way, we challenge them to go further than before and give them a more rounded experience,” Kasten said.

The Institute is dedicated to culinary professionalism at its highest level, he said. A chef, who is properly attired and equipped, has taken a great step toward a professional attitude and conduct. Each student enrolled in the culinary arts program is required to purchase the approved Institution uniform and knife set, the front manager said.

The culinary college, with its namesake n chef John Folse n known around the globe as Louisiana’s Ambassador, is devoted to the preservation of Louisiana’s rich culinary heritage while fostering Louisiana’s role as a culinary leader. Nestled deep in the heart of Cajun and Creole Country, the culinary school is known for its hospitality and fine cuisine.

According to Kasten, with the combination of the faculty’s credentials, experiences and commitments to academic excellence NSU can offer quality educational opportunities to its more than 7,000 students. At NSU, students receive “Excellence in Education” with a personal touch, he said.

The Bistro is closed for the Christmas holiday and will reopen Jan. 16.

Sophia Ruffin can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or sophia@tri-parishtimes.com.

Nicholls State University Bistro

Address: 107 Gouaux

Hall, P.O. Box 2099

Thibodaux, La, 70310

Phone: (985) 449-7100

Fax: (985) 449-7089

Part of the mission of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute is to collect and preserve historic items related to food and food preparation. The student Bistro is designed to provide hands-on experience in behind-the-scenes and front-house service. This is the final block course students take before graduating. The Bistro is closed for the Christmas holiday, but will reopen Jan. 16.

Photo by Doug Keese / NSU * Students at NSU’s Bistro are schooled in preparing fine cuisine, serving the meals and operating the business side of a restaurant. “The students write all of their requisitions and do all the preparations for the Bistro for that day,” said professor/dining manager Don Kasten. “They organize the kitchen, the workloads and the production schedule.”