Tag: Career Education Scholarship Fund

As a student attending Le Cordon Bleu in Miramar, I was happy to dine in Tropibleu restaurant. This restaurant is actually a live classroom overseen by the school’s Chefs. It is required for culinary students to take this class before we go out on our externship. I was very excited to savor the wonderful dishes from this restaurant, but I was also curious to see what kind of dishes, eager culinary students would turn out to be.

There are other excellent restaurants around the area but we decided to eat at our campus restaurant. The 15% gratuity is donated to the Career Education Scholarship Fund, a nonprofit fund dedicated to providing need-based scholarships to qualified students who are attending one of its many participating institutions. Last year, more than $46,000 of scholarship money was raised from gratuities.

I ordered an 8oz Filet Mignon served with truffle oil and mushroom risotto, Bordelaise sauce and seasonal vegetables ($18.95). The filet is the tenderest cut of beef and the most expensive. Because the protein’s muscle is non-weight bearing, and receives very little exercise, which makes it tender. I believe this dish was perfectly done by students. The filet was extremely juicy with a beautiful caramelized color. The truffle oil with the mushroom risotto was so soft and incredibly creamy with a resistance to the bite. The Bordelaise sauce is a classic French sauce, made with dry red wine, bones, shallots and brown sauce called demi-glace.

My friend ordered an 18oz Cowboy Steak rib eye, served with homemade fries and herbed steak butter ($19.95). Wow, steak madness! My eyes teared as I looked at this massive steak. Forget the fries; the steak is so unbelievably exquisite that my friend did not even pay attention to them. This steak had streams of juice coming from all over. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! I fell in love. I had expected the food to be good but what a revelation; I felt as if each dish was prepared by top Chefs. If I was not a student myself, I never would have known that these dishes are the actual result of students learning the basics of steak preparation. Chef Francisco Garcia’s dedication and time with each student lets him explain the logistics of restaurant dining. First he calls out each order then demonstrates how the dish should be cooked and served. Professor Servet is the lead instructor who helps students with the front of the house, etiquette and protocols. Professor Servet has served two president of the US, Ronald Regan and George W. Bush and other heads of state and celebrities. With a soft calm voice he advices each student, stimulating the young minds to accommodate each customer. Tropibleu has always been reserved for special events like Celebrity Cruise Lines, La Chaine des Rotisseurs and other top companies.