Students in the culinary program at the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Center are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day feast for the public on Wednesday, March 13.
Doors open at 10:45 a.m. at the Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus, located at 925B Watervliet-Shaker Road, Albany NY 12205. The buffet will begin at 11:30 a.m.
The nearly sold-out event has been about a month in preparation as students do everything from learn how to cure corn beef to prepare the full menu, make soda bread, etc.
Chef Paul Dolan said the lesson provides real-life skills for the students
“You can’t get any more real than pushing 100-plus dinners out the door all at once and overcoming such obstacles as lost prep time,” he said.
Menu options include corned beef brisket with cabbage and root vegetables, braised lamb stew with champ and a choice of dessert options. All entrees include a tossed field greens salad with vinaigrette dressing and “Kathleen Dolan’s famous Irish soda bread.” The cost for the entire meal is $13.
Preparations for the feast began in mid-February with students submerging the corned beef in a marinade. The marinade is changed weekly and the beef massaged, Dolan said.
Among the many dignitaries on hand during the 2023 event was U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, who praised the students and BOCES.
“This is fabulous, a great event,” he said while shaking hands with BOCES teacher Chef Paul Dolan, who has overseen the luncheon for 24 years.