gourmet gallery

Culinary students of The Art Institutes International Minnesota (Ai Minnesota) are making the grade while they work - and go to school - at the Ai Minnesota's student-run Gourmet Gallery located at 15 South 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis. The restaurant serves as a public "dining lab" for students of the Ai Minnesota's Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Program. Students in their final quarter serve as the entire staff, preparing and serving meals from lunch and dinner menus.

The students get real-world experience while in the classroom. The lessons of timing, communication skills, the ebb and flow of a restaurant, and how to efficiently work with others are reinforced while working in the Gourmet Gallery. Students, who come from all backgrounds imaginable, spend half of the quarter in the kitchen as chefs under the direction of their Chef Instructor, preparing meals for waiting patrons. The remaining half of their final quarter is spent in the dining area as waitstaff.

The restaurant is "flowing" just fine. The Gourmet Gallery is open for lunch service Mondays through Wednesdays from 11am to 1pm and current clientele consists mainly of neighboring office employees and Ai Minnesota staff. The menu can be viewed online at http://aim.aiiresources.com/ggmenu. Like most restaurants, reservations can be called in 612.656.6881.