This Omaha Culinary Program Lets Students Run a Real Restaurant

What if culinary school let you learn in a real restaurant—with real guests, real service, and real feedback? In this special Restaurant Hoppen segment from Hurrdat and Yelp's Omaha food event at the Kiewit Luminarium, Dan Hoppen sits down with Emma Oblender, outreach specialist and outreach chef for Metro Community College's Culinary Arts & Horticulture programs, to explore how Metro is preparing the next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals. At the center of Metro's culinary program is Sage Student Bistro, a public-facing restaurant where students experience both front-of-house and back-of-house operations while serving real guests. Emma explains why that hands-on environment gives students something a traditional classroom simply can't: the opportunity to learn from real service, real feedback and real-world mistakes. Metro has also revamped its culinary program around cohort learning, cross-training, and internship and job-site opportunities that connect students directly with Omaha's restaurant community. And you don't even have to be pursuing a culinary career to get involved. Metro offers community education classes covering everything from sushi and knife skills to bread and macarons. Whether you're an aspiring chef, a longtime food lover, or just curious about how Omaha's culinary talent is being developed, this is a fascinating look inside one of the region's most hands-on culinary programs. 👨‍🍳 Metro Community College 🌐 https://www.mccneb.edu/ This is a Hurrdat ONE Production. Hurrdat ONE is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat ONE Network by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hurrdat ONE Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hurrdat ONE YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! #RestaurantHoppen #MetroCommunityCollege #OmahaFood #CulinarySchool #OmahaRestaurants #CulinaryArts #SageStudentBistro