Crab bisque, pumpkin creme brulee. Student chefs in Macon offer low cost fine dining

Upscale, four-course meals are back at the W.S. Hutchings College & Career Academy in Macon.

The school’s student-run Compass Rose Cafe was set to reopen on Friday around noon, with specialty dishes including ingredients such as caramelized oyster mushrooms and simmered crab meat.

“We’re leaning into colder weather now, so the menu is favored for the fall,” said executive chef instructor Stuart Hardy.

Students in the school’s culinary arts pathway work under the supervision of professional chefs to provide exquisite dining experiences to local customers while learning the fundamentals of cooking and honing their skills, according to the cafe’s website.

About six to eight students help run the restaurant, Hardy added.

Friday’s menu will feature corn and crab bisque, wild mushroom risotto, fig and rosemary-glazed chicken, creamy pumpkin creme brulee for dessert and a choice of beverage—all for $20.

Guests will be seated in the dining room at 12:15 p.m., and food will be served at 12:30 p.m, according to a news release.

Customers can also be on the lookout for new dishes, as the cafe’s menu will rotate weekly, Hardy said.

“Every time we open, there will be a brand new menu. It never gets repeated throughout the same year,” he said. “We like to work with our students, and we use the menus as a way to teach them new concepts. So we try not to be redundant with the food options.”

The Compass Rose is working to be open at least twice a month, Hardy said.

The cafe, which is located at 1780 Anthony Road, works around Hutchings Academy’s school schedule.

The Compass Rose asks that customers pay with credit cards only, and it will be adding two new payment kiosks to expedite the ordering process.

Customers are required to make reservations online. Seating is limited.

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