Local News

Mustangs in the kitchen

Student-run restaurant provides hands-on learning

MARSHALL -- Guests were enjoying a meal at Southwest Minnesota State University's student-run restaurant on Thursday evening. But while the atmosphere in the dining room may have been calm, things were bustling behind the scenes.

SMSU students were busy doing everything from slicing steak and cooking servings of gnocchi, to washing dishes.

"Five of us are trying to cover everything in the kitchen," said SMSU student Mareena Jepsen.

The experience of planning, cooking and serving restaurant meals was at the center of the Mustang Kitchen this fall. This semester, students majoring in culinology and hospitality management worked together to prepare a menu that highlighted different spices or spice blends.

Students said the real-world experience they gained was one of the best parts of managing the student restaurant.

"I think it's the fact that we can work every position," said Bronte Enyart-Martinez, one of the five Mustang Kitchen team members this fall. Students take turns serving as managers, line cooks and even dishwashers.

This semester, the Mustang Kitchen was open for a limited amount of evenings during October and November. Reservations filled up quickly - students said it took about a day or two before all the available seats were filled.

"It brings a lot of pressure, but also pride," Enyart-Martinez said. It was exciting to serve friends and family, as well as community members, she said.

"It makes me wish we could do more, like with a bigger serving area," said Naomi Schroeder. Schroeder said the experience of serving more people would be tough, but it would also be exciting to do.

Running the Mustang Kitchen is a unique experience for students, said Joyce Hwang, associate professor of hospitality management and culinology at SMSU. Students get hands-on experience, in addition to classroom studies where they learn everything from service procedures, to how to plan out the cost of ingredients and profit margins.

"They actually do it and see how it happens," Hwang said. "At the end of the semester, each class has become a good team."

Each of the five students on the fall 2026 Mustang Kitchen team contributed dishes to the menu. Diners had a choice from among five different entrees.

"We chose a different meat for each," as well as a vegetarian entree, said Norah Stienessen.

Atithi Gurung said she wanted to bring a unique recipe and some of her culture to the menu. For her entree, she chose pork jhol momo, a style of dumpling from Nepal.

Desserts and appetizers for the Mustang Kitchen changed on a weekly basis. For Thursday's dessert, Stienessen chose to make bananas Foster.

"I chose it because my dad made it when I was growing up, every Christmas," she said.

Part of the cooking process for the dessert included a flambé. Stienessen added rum to a hot pan of bananas and caramel sauce, and then ignited it. She carefully stirred the mixture, while the alcohol burned off.

Preparing for, cooking and serving each week's restaurant meals takes a big time commitment.

"The manager for the week starts planning one or two weeks out," Gurung said.

Students said they're working from roughly 2 p.m. to past 9 p.m. on service nights. Often they put in work outside of that time, too. Schroeder said she put in extra work to make the homemade vanilla ice cream served with Thursday's dessert.

The students' hard work paid off, however.

"It's really cool getting to read the comment cards," Jepsen said. Getting good feedback from customers was exciting, students said.

Gurung also said she like seeing the different people coming to the SMSU campus.

"It's amazing to see the community coming together to support the restaurant," she said.