By Jayy Mireles
Just a mile off campus, there’s a hidden gem in downtown Riverside, that’s available for all Riverside City College students and local foodies.
The RCC Culinary Arts Academy doesn’t just teach students how to cook and be the best at Culinary Arts, they also serve beautiful, yet inexpensive dishes to the community.
The educational aspect of the program gives great opportunities to students. They learn an array of cooking positions from pastry chef all the way to formal catering.
The school also gives assistance in job placement for their graduate students. Any other information on their educational program and job opportunities is available in their pamphlet.
I ordered the Academy 1, that was made up of Southern style deep fried chicken, black eyed peas, white southern gravy, collard greens and cornbread. The dish was something I could find in my grandmother’s kitchen.
The chicken was breaded and deep fried, not too dry, yet not too moist and the gravy was a perfect way to compliment the flavor of the chicken.
The collard greens were topped with bacon and the texture was so soft, but it was a little on the saltier side, so table salt would not be needed.
Black eyed peas are a challenge, if cooked too long they easily become dry. The peas were slightly overcooked and could’ve used a bit more attention.
Now for the best part, dessert. I wanted to stay with the Southern theme so I ordered the peach cobbler à la mode, and undoubtedly the dessert was the best part of the entire meal.
The ice cream was homemade, and I could tell. The cobbler it self was baked to perfection. The peaches still had a crunch to them and were fresh from the fruit, said Danette Dorrough, a student in the academy. It was almost like taking a bite from the actual peach.
The crust was soft and flaky and made with real butter. To top it all off the cinnamon was not overbearing but still present.
Overall, the meal was refreshing and served at a good price, I ended up only paying $14.35 and I left with a full stomach and a smile on my face.
I suggest anyone to go and enjoy the delicious food and relaxing ambiance that the RCC Culinary Arts Academy has to offer.
