OSU nutrition and food management students learn firsthand at Pangea Cafe

Pangea Cafe in the Oregon State University Memorial Union turned into a Hawaiian luau Monday, as patrons enjoyed traditional island fare prepared by nutrition and food management students.

“It’s really good. The chicken is juicy,” said Michelle Young, as she enjoyed a teriyaki chicken sandwich for lunch.

Young, a junior majoring in general science at OSU, is from Oahu. She was impressed by how authentic the Pangea food tasted.

“It tastes like something I could get in Hawaii,” Young said.

Authenticity was one of many challenges facing the 65 students in instructor Jackie Brown’s management of food systems lab.

Each year students in this program run Pangea for a week. They are divided into five teams, and each is responsible for one day.

They choose themes, plan menus, test recipes, purchase ingredients, set prices, market the restaurant, cook and serve. The goal is to make a profit — and get a glimpse of what a career in restaurant management entails.

“They learn human relation skills, how to work together as a team. They learn the whole food service process,” Brown said.

Chelyn Yamaguchi, a senior nutrition and food management major with a dietetics option, is from Kauai.

She used her expertise to help develop and test recipes such as kahlua pork, for which her team imported Ti leaves from Hawaii, and shoyu chicken.

“For them not being from Hawaii, I’d say my group did an excellent job,” Yamaguchi said.

The biggest challenge her team faced, she said, was fitting all the out-of-class preparation into their busy schedules.

The team, led by graduate student Libby McCulley, worked with OSU’s Hawaiian Club to market and build a client base. They also borrowed palm trees and other decorations from the club, which helped minimize expenses.

“It’s been really good. It’s been a learning experience for sure. We have a great team, and we’ve all pulled together really well,” McCulley said.

The group anticipated that the shoyu chicken dish, pulled chicken in a shoyu sauce served with rice and macaroni salad, would be popular, so they made plenty.

Kahlua pork and veggie stir fry sold better than expected, though, and both dishes were gone by 12:30 p.m.

Judy Hickam usually manages Pangea, but she was happy to turn the cafe over to students for the week.

“It’s great for novices to come in, pick a theme, develop their recipes, quantify them. They should be very proud of themselves for doing such a good job,” Hickam said.

The students estimated they’d serve between 500 and 600 people Monday, about 100 more than an average day.

Hickam and McCulley attributed the increased traffic to friends and faculty wanting to support the nutrition students.

Teams had only two criteria when planning their menus: Each day had to have a turkey sandwich or wrap, and at least one vegetarian option.

Students assumed different roles, based on their interests and experience. Some took orders, some waited tables and others dished up plates.

Benjamin Lipp, a nutrition and food management student, oversaw the cooking. Lipp took a year of culinary classes at Linn-Benton Community College. He hopes to run a restaurant someday.

Many of the students in the class, including senior Aslan Rentz, want to become registered dieticians. Planning menus for Pangea helped them prepare for their future careers.

Rentz works with two students from Hawaii in the student health center, and she asked for their assistance in contributing to Monday’s menu. One of them came for lunch, and she gave Rentz good reviews.

“She was so impressed, and she knows what Hawaiian food tastes like. She wanted our dessert recipe (a pineapple cream cheese pie) for her 3-year-old daughter’s birthday,” Rentz said.

At a glance

Students from OSU’s nutrition and food management program are managing Pangea Cafe in the Memorial Union this week. They’ve planned the meals, designed and tested the recipes, marketed and budgeted. They’re also doing the cooking and the serving.

Lunch is available from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a different theme offered each day.

Today: Baja

Wednesday: Mediterranean

Thursday: Eastern European

Friday: African