Students at HFCC Culinary College Learn Restaurant Artistry One Plate at a Time
A three-course lunch or a dinner with drinks for under 25 bucks. The menu carefully rebuilt 12 times a year to take advantage of the best local seasonal produce—much of it grown in the kitchen’s on-site garden. In late summer, this meant perfectly roasted merluza (hake) with Brussels sprouts, bacon and parsnips; and rotisserie-roasted duck with peaches, fennel and lavender. Omnivores dig into steak or lamb; vegetarians indulge in the savory goodness of butternut squash tortellini or make a meal of the small plates. The atmosphere is clubby, service impeccable, tipping not allowed.
Where is this gem? And why haven’t you heard about it yet? The answer to both questions is the same: 5101—pronounced fifty-one-oh-one—is the student-run restaurant of the culinary arts department of Henry Ford Community College (HFCC). The dining experience is superb and available for lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with dinner service on Wednesday. But it’s not exactly on the well-trodden path.
Housed in the Student Center Building of HFCC, 5101 is both the beating heart and working laboratory for the school’s culinary arts and hospitality management programs. “We’re super inclusive here,” says Eric Gackenbach, faculty chair. “The program is diverse in every way: age, gender and ethnicity, with or without cognitive or physical disabilities.”
Serving HFCC’s particular population is an equally diverse offering of programs. Three areas of focus—baking and pastry, culinary arts and hotel/restaurant management—provide three levels of training. Certificates in each discipline are awarded after completing 30 hours of instruction, with opportunities to level up to associate and bachelor degrees.
Training is rigorous, with first priority to give students a business edge in an extremely competitive industry. “Our business focus is unique,” says Gackenbach. “It really sets us apart from other culinary schools.” But the program design isn’t just so students can crunch numbers. “We want you to be able to work every aspect of hospitality, to be confident, dedicated and hardworking. The whole curriculum is objective-oriented.”
One example: To hone their communication skills, the program requires aspiring chefs to create a 10-minute cooking video. “This isn’t geared toward showing that you’re a potential TV star,” says Gackenbach. “But people need to be able to show what they can do.”
The cooking video is part of a longer assignment. First, each student creates a full menu, then develops the recipes and costs it out, making sure that the menu adheres to the given budget. The student then prepares a section of the menu as video is recorded in the special studio kitchen. Ceiling-mounted cameras record a top-down view.
The state-of-the-art quality to the video studio mirrors that of the large, gleaming student kitchens, with areas designed for each discipline. Professional chefs with world-class experience guide students to success at every step. In addition to Chef Gackenbach— who teaches both culinary and business classes—there’s Joseph Cosenza. Trained at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu and experienced in leading top-flight Chicago and Detroit kitchens, Cosenza joined the program in 2011. As chef de cuisine for 5101, he not only creates its menus but patiently and meticulously supervises lunch and dinner service.
His philosophy: “The person who cooks the most will end up cooking the best.” To that end, the school provides students with hours and hours of hands-on time. “Let’s say a student gets assigned to make a particular sauce on a given day. So they make it in the classroom, they might do it perfectly, just that one time. But if we have 60 guests in the restaurant, the student has to make a dish and its components over and over. Each time it will get better.”
Cosenza teaches a range of courses on both culinary and marketing matters. Also on hand: Chef Henry Click, who shares his passions for travel and food as he teaches students international cooking and bread mastery. As an HFCC program graduate himself, he can provide unique insight into and empathy for the student experience. And internationally acclaimed Chef Kristin Jablonski teaches his brand of sweet wizardry for those who want to make their mark in the high-demand world of elaborately decorated celebration cakes and pastries.
A meal at 5101 isn’t the only way to experience the joys of HFCC cooking. Through its partnership with eastern Market, Chef Cosenza and a trio of students perform cooking demonstrations at the market on Saturdays. And when 5101 offers one of its seasonal events—including buffets in honor of Oktoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day—make your reservations quickly. They disappear fast.
But a regular lunch or dinner at 5101 not only provides a great, relaxing eating experience for diners, it gives invaluable experience to the program’s students. Parking, in a lot right next to the student center on Evergreen Drive in Dearborn, is easy—in fact, quite a bit easier than parking in downtown Dearborn. Just push the intercom button, tell them your destination, and you’re in a safe, secure lot for free.
No doubt, 5101 will be a secret you won’t want to keep.
