Today's lesson: bronzed salmon

Living on the Tulane University uptown campus definitely has its culinary perks. In a new teaching kitchen at the Barbara Greenbaum House at Newcomb Lawn, students are learning how to prepare gourmet dishes from the top chefs of Tulane Dining Services by Sodexo.

For the price of a regular campus meal, students get lessons in food preparation from the chefs and enjoy feasting on the results.

It's made possible by the state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen at Barbara Greenbaum House, the newest residence hall on the uptown campus. The kitchen has professional-grade appliances, a prep area behind the kitchen and an overhead camera that allows students to watch the preparations closely.

February's demonstration was the preparation of a fresh gulf catch. March and April will bring desserts and healthy-themed events. With different chefs hosting each month, students can learn what goes into the meals they eat on campus, and discover kitchen skills they can use to develop signature dishes of their own.



An ample pot of Jazzmen's Aromatic Rice waits to be dressed up with bronzed salmon and blood orange sauce by resident dining director T.J. Talabi, left, and district executive chef Travis Johnson. (Photos by Linda Lien-Ribardi)

Chef Travis Johnson, left, cuts fresh blood oranges to use in a creamy citrus sauce over fresh salmon, while executive chef Scott Goodstall, center, demonstrates fileting the fresh salmon for a Gulf Coast meal, and general manager Thomas Beckmann, right, shows flatfish deconstruction techniques.

Salmon plated over rice with asparagus, left, exemplifies New Orleans foodways to eager Tulane students, including Jessica Conrad, preparing to bite into fresh Louisiana seafood.