Jeff Zimmerman was asked to feature a menu of his choice to create alongside students for the annual Guest Chef Day at The Club at Gateway Center, a student-run restaurant.
On April 9th, when the University of North Texas (UNT) hosted its annual Guest Chef Day at the student-run restaurant, The Club at Gateway Center, Jeff Zimmerman, Executive Chef and Corporate Director of Dallas-based ClubCorp, was asked to feature a menu of his choice to create alongside students.
Guest Chef Day is a 27-year tradition at UNT, and the General Manager of The Club at Gateway Center, Joseph O’Donnell, said he uses the event to feature top chefs from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex region who volunteer their time.
“It’s an opportunity to give the students exposure to somebody that’s actively employed in the craft,” O’Donnell said.
The Guest Chef event is open to the public and $9.50 is charged for a three-course meal.
For his participation, Zimmerman featured various menu items from ClubCorp properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He started with a first course of blue crab and poblano cornbread crumble, followed by a spiced skirt steak, and for dessert, Bananas Foster-style nut bread with a rum cream sauce.
Zimmerman said he was excited to work with the students and would welcome the opportunity to do it again.
The employees at The Club at Gateway Center are students enrolled in restaurant courses within UNT’s hospitality program. In the absence of a culinary school, working at The Club at Gateway Center to practice fine-dining service techniques, menu planning, management skills, marketing and financial management.
