At UK's sold-out student-run cafe, real-world skills are on the menu

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — The hardest restaurant reservation to secure in Lexington isn't a new spot downtown.

It's actually on campus at the University of Kentucky.

Long before guests arrive to the Lemon Tree Cafe inside Scovell Hall, UK students like Brandon Vera have been prepping the ingredients for a fresh and flavorful meal.

"I heard there's some oranges that are going to be involved with today's dessert," said Vera as he walked LEX News around the kitchen. "Yeah, it looks good over there."

The work isn't just happening inside the state-of-the-art kitchen. Students are also putting the finishing touches on the dining area with creative napkin folds.

"We are doing the Greek cross because our meal today is inspired by Greece," explained senior Maranda Carr.

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Thursday's meal included a chicken shawarma couscous bowl, homemade hummus and pita, and Greek salad — all followed by orange cinnamon cake with a cream cheese frosting.

"When guests come to have lunch with us, they're entering our classroom," said Jason Swanson, an associate professor of Hospitality and Tourism.

That classroom has become Lexington's hottest restaurant, since the Lemon Tree Cafe opened in 1976.

It's open to the public, and spots sell out early on in the semester for lunch service twice a week.

Students rotate through roles including managers, chefs, servers and dishwashers.

"This is more than just learning how to run a restaurant," said Swanson. "We're teaching the students about leadership and problem solving and working together."

Taught by trained chefs and faculty, the Lemon Tree Cafe is part of the Quantity Food Production course for upper-level dietetics and hospitality management students.

"The Lemon Tree Cafe is really a living laboratory," said Dr. Julie Plasencia, an associate professor in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition.

"It's been really cool getting to just work with all of the dietetics majors and just kind of see what they do," said Carr. "Also getting to work in an industrial size kitchen, because that's definitely something that I did not ever see myself doing."

No matter their career goals, students and faculty say the cafe is about more than a delicious meal. They're also serving up success as they learn real-world skills.

"I think the biggest reaction is kind of surprise at how much of what they're learning in the classroom, becomes real in the kitchen to them," said Plasencia.

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Lunch is served on select Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the semester and costs $20 per person. Reservations have not yet opened up for the spring semester, but you'll want to act quickly when they do.