At TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, hoop and hockey fans can really take their game to another level thanks to the culinary students of Johnson & Wales University.
Legends, the private, members-only restaurant and bar located on the third level of TD Garden, is now serving signature menu items developed by students in JWU’s Chef-Driven Contemporary Casual Concepts course. Currently on the menu are Essex fried clams, a nod to local cuisine – the fried clam was invented in Essex, Mass., and Nashville hot chicken, a classic game-day favorite. Later this month, two more JWU creations will appear on the menu. Nearly a dozen recipes were submitted for consideration to Legends chefs and management, who chose four that will appear on the menu this regular season. Appearing next on the menu will be international flavors: a pork hand roll – a handheld gingery Asian bite, and jerk wings – a hot and spicy, traditional island dish.
The course is part of a partnership that names JWU as the official education partner of the Boston Bruins and TD Garden. The partnership, announced in October, has several elements that connect to the university’s curriculum. Included are experiential education opportunities for JWU students and a tuition benefit to the workforce of TD Garden, the Boston Bruins and the food-service supplier for the venue, Delaware North Sportservice.
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CULINARY TEAM: Johnson & Wales University culinary students, from left, Jake Vincent, Brandy Schroth and Matthew Hall, with JWU faculty chef and instructor Matthew Britt, created the Essex fried clams on the Legends menu at TD Garden in Boston.
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Chef and JWU instructor Matthew Britt led the students throughout the development of the menu items.
“We’re training future chefs to go into industry with skills that will immediately impact the establishments where they work,” Britt said. “Legends afforded our students with an experience that justifies the significance of their education to their future careers.”
Tian Dai, a junior in the College of Culinary Arts who helped develop the recipe for the Nashville hot chicken, said: “We prepared dishes for real guests who are served in a high-volume capacity during Bruins and Celtics games. We put a lot into our concept, and it is exhilarating to see our dishes on a restaurant menu with our names on it.”
Dai took his hot chicken dish on the road, competing in the Young Chef Olympiad 2019 in India in early February.
Chef Kevin Doherty, TD Garden’s executive chef and director of food and beverage for Delaware North Sportservice, said the JWU partnership has been rewarding.
“Students brought a fresh perspective to create menu items that appeal to Legends customers and enhance our game-day dining experience at TD Garden,” said Doherty, who earned an associate degree at JWU.
Helping hand
Those of us who dine out often will consistently get behind a chef or restaurateur who is lending a helping hand to the community. These days, restaurant row in Newport needs a helping hand. Dozens of restaurants were dealt a major blow when the gas went out for a week. These small businesses, their staff and families are still reeling and trying to recover. What if we all plan to go for a night out at a Newport County restaurant this coming week? The bridge is a half-hour away from where you are right now, and your support is the fastest way to give this industry – this community – a much-needed boost.
Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, through various mobile applications and via smart speaker. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.