On Tuesdays and Thursdays in the early afternoon at Harper College, while passing by Building A you might hear the sound of calming music coming from an old, wooden door that doesn’t quite look like it belongs. 

The Harper College Dining Room (A238), hidden behind One-Stop, is run by students in the Culinary and Hospitality Management programs.

On the left-hand side of the door, it reads “A28 Harper College Dining Room.” You enter to find students dressed formally, wearing white dress shirts and black bottoms.

Guests are seated through a hostess, with soft instrumental music playing in the background. It’s unlike any other food venue at Harper. This well-kept Harper secret is a lab for Harper culinary and hospitality students in the classroom. Students to practice what they have learned

They serve three-course meals to guests as part of their hands-on training. Students can select their choice to serve a soup or salad to start, followed by a choice from 2 main entrees as well as dessert, all for only 12 dollars. Each dish is served with much professionalism, which can be surprising for first-timers.

“The dining room is a place where the students in the hospitality management program… get real world experience.” said Chef Gerard Bonner, one of the instructors of the Dining Room. “It’s not just about making food… it gives them a taste of what the industry is really like.”

Each dining day is planned and executed entirely by the students. The culinary students cook the meals the class before, and then the dining room opens where the hospitality students plate and serve the food.

Bonner said it all starts on day one.

“We go over a lot of the recipes and techniques in class, and then they’re in the kitchen making it happen,” he said.

Speed, he explained, is often the biggest challenge. 

“Coming in and having to put out a full menu—soup, salad, two entrées that come with starch, sides, sauces, garnishes—it’s a lot to juggle.”

Bonner said students usually overcome this obstacle by the time the semester comes to a close.

“By the end of the semester, they’re running it like a real restaurant,” he stated.

Victor Vega, a student in both the culinary and hospitality classes said the the work doesn’t feel like a traditional classroom at all.

“Honestly, it didn’t feel like a lab to me,” Vega said. “It felt more like a restaurant… people walk in expecting a delicious meal with good service.”

Vega starts his day in the kitchen prepping meals, then shifts to the front of the house to serve guests.

“Not only do I cook, but I also serve the customers,” he said. “It’s really helpful because I can get feedback and see whether someone enjoyed the meal or not.”

He said one of the biggest lessons he’s learned is how to be prepared.

“The best thing I learned was mise en place,” Vega said. “You have to be really organized or else everything gets harder, and you could possibly fail.”

Students begin the week using strict recipes to build consistency and technique. By Thursday, there’s some room for creativity.

“Tuesday, we stick with the recipe entirely,” Bonner said. “Thursday, they’re allowed to change the plating or make small adjustments.”

Earlier in the semester, students helped design an Ecuadorian fish fritter that became one of the most popular dishes of the year.

“It went over extremely well… probably the most popular thing we had,” Bonner said.

The menu rotates weekly, but every dish reflects a different blend of creativity, technique, and cultural influence.

One week, you had your choice of the starter salad, which was a Japanese-inspired cucumber and radish salad. Thinly sliced vegetables were topped with sesame seeds and drizzled with a dressing tasting of soy sauce and sesame oil. Despite containing no fish, it captured the essence of sushi.

Another option was the soup, shrimp coconut curry. The broth was rich but balanced, not too salty, and filled with vegetables like asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Two grilled shrimp on top, garnished with cilantro and coconut flakes, adding texture and color.

One entree that showcased this technique and creativity was the chicken biryani served with raita. The rice was aromatic and well-seasoned, and the yogurt-based side added a cooling contrast.

Another entree featured a twist of sorts on the viral “sushi burrito” trend. Inside a tortilla wrap were layers of sushi rice, steak, vegetables, and sauce. 

Dimple Edwin, another student in the program, came to Harper with nearly a decade of experience working in hotels overseas.

“I was working in five-star hotels,” Edwin said. “But I felt that experience wasn’t enough—I wanted to learn more.”

She moved from Pakistan to pursue an associate degree in hospitality management at Harper College.

“I love this field,” Edwin said. “And the Dining Room class is my first time working in a restaurant.”

Bonner added that public feedback plays a big role in how students grow.

“We have comment cards where guests can rate their service anonymously,” he said. “We’ve gotten mostly fives and some fours throughout the semester.”

He believes this kind of hands-on learning is what prepares students for real careers in hospitality.

“The Dining Room is a combination of lab and classroom,” Bonner said.”But you’ve got to get in there and learn. That’s how it works in this industry.”

What looks like a quiet hallway in Building A is actually a full learning experience. With each dish served and each guest interacting, students are getting a head start on their future careers-one plate at a time.

Reservations have since been closed for the 2024-2025 school year, but you can make a reservation for the fall semester when the doors open again at The Harper College Dining Room.