SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Instead of spending their days in a classroom, students in Lincoln Land Community College's Hospitality and Culinary Arts Program are spending their class time in the the kitchen. 

Each student designs a recipe, with budget and availability considerations in mind, and tests them to make sure they can be prepared on demand. Then, those dishes are added to the menu at Bistro Verde. 

"One of the cool things about our program here is that Bistro Verde runs as a grab and go concept for the first eight weeks of the semester," said Sheridan Lane, Director of the Culinary and Hospitality Program. "Then when we transition after spring break, it reopens as a casual fine dining spot that gives students really the opportunity to do two things."

Bistro Verde is located within the Workforce Institute Building and is open to students as well as anyone else in the community. The bistro gives students the opportunity to learn how the industry works in real time 

"They do it in live time and everyone is here for the lunch hour, so everything  from the moment your order is in, it should be five to seven minutes 'til it's ready to go," said Chef Josh Dineen, the Chef Instructor of Bistro Classes. "So the students understand prioritizing and speed and making your guest happy on the lunch hour."

The goal of LLCC's Workforce Institute is to provide hands-on training to help students prepare to enter whatever field they are hoping to work in. 

The to-go aspect of Bistro Verde will be open from January 31st to February 29th. Lunch is served on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Bistro will transform for full-service lunch  from March 27th to April 18th. 

The menu is available at this link. 

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