By Chris Adam 

Some Ivy Tech Community College- Indianapolis community members call it a “hidden treasure” for the city. It’s also a place where education and fantastic food come together to serve neighbors. 

A STUDENT-RUN RESTAURANT

The Courses Restaurant is a student-operated eatery run by Ivy Tech Community College-Indianapolis. It operates as part of the college’s hospitality, culinary arts, baking, pastry, and related programs. The restaurant is tied into faculty-led courses, called cuisine courses, that rotate through themes such as classical French cuisine and specialized cuisine from around the world. Courses Restaurant is meant to give students real experience in preparing food, cooking, serving, performing front-of-house duties, and more. 

“Every day in the Courses Restaurant, I get to watch our students transform their classroom lessons into real-world excellence,” said Chef Jenni Schouppe, program chair of the School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, Indianapolis campus. “Seeing their confidence grow as they serve the public and refine their craft is the best part of my job. Their passion for hospitality and culinary arts reminds me why this work matters. It’s not just about food, it’s about building futures.” 

A RICH HISTORY

The restaurant and the bakery are student-run operations in the Ivy Tech Indianapolis Conference Center and Culinary Institute on the college’s downtown campus. The restaurant is on the penthouse floor, and the bakery-café is in the first-floor lobby. 

The building at 2820 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, which now houses Ivy Tech’s Conference Center and Culinary Institute, was originally the Stouffer’s Hotel, built in 1965. 

Before being the Stouffer’s Hotel, the property was the site of the mansion of Frank Van Camp, famous for Van Camp baked beans. The mansion was built in the late 1800s. 

Ivy Tech purchased the building in December 2010. The Conference Center and Culinary Institute at Ivy Tech opened in August 2012, and the restaurant also opened as part of the facility. 

LEARNING ON THE JOB

Students in culinary arts, baking and pastry, and hospitality management/ customer service classes participate in restaurant operations. Culinary courses are eight weeks long. When the restaurant is open, students prepare the menu based on the theme of the class. 

For front-of-house/customer service, there is a specific class that brings together students from culinary, baking, and hospitality management to run a dining room experience and develop leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. Students also earn certifications as part of the curriculum. 

The restaurant is open to the public during the fall, spring, and summer semesters for lunch and dinner, depending on the class schedule. Reservations are required to dine there. The cost is fixed for three courses at lunch or dinner. A portion of each meal price, plus 100% of tips, goes toward the student scholarship fund.