Order up: Emery’s at NIC now serving delicious lessons

Emery’s restaurant at North Idaho College is open to the public for the spring semester.

The eatery, a real-world training ground for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs in NIC's culinary arts program, opened Feb. 9 with a Mexican menu.

Hillary Faeta-Ginepra, NIC culinary arts instructor and Emery’s head chef, said the menu changes weekly based on the program’s curriculum, seasonal availability of ingredients and student input.

Current students, with the help and guidance of their instructors, alternate between cooking and serving duties weekly.

Faeta-Ginepra said the program offers hands-on learning in an industry-standard facility, providing students with practical experience only achievable in a restaurant setting.

“Emery’s gives them a good foundation so when they enter the work world, it propels them faster,” Faeta-Ginepra said. “They can apply their practical experience and move up the ladder pretty quickly.”

NIC Culinary Arts professor Duane Sunwold said the 14 students on Emery’s staff this semester have varying degrees of experience in the industry, which locally is hard-pressed for staff.

“The hospitality industry and the culinary field are desperate for qualified people,” Sunwold said. “This area is such a tourism hotspot in the summer that it gets hit even harder.”

Claire Partridge and Angelica Sanchez, two 2020 program graduates who came back to campus Feb. 10 to have lunch at Emery’s, said the demand for qualified culinary staff was apparent before they even finished the program.

“Being in the program and working at Emery’s helped us meet a lot of people working in the industry,” Sanchez said. “We met executive chefs from The Coeur d’Alene Resort and chefs from different resorts and hotels from around the region.”

“There’s lots of people who come and contact Chef (Faeta-Ginepra) about students,” Partridge said. “If they have an open position, they’ll ask her if she has someone and if they’re interested, so it’s a great starting point to get into the industry.”

Located on the second floor of the Hedlund Building on NIC’s main campus in Coeur d’Alene, Emery’s is open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays through the end of the semester.

The cost of entrees ranges from $7 to $12 each, and appetizers and desserts cost $3 to $6 each.

The program also hosts a deli in the same location, offering breakfast, lunch, desserts and beverages. The deli offers items similar to the Emery’s menu, though deli items are packed to go with prices between $4 and $12.

Find Emery’s menus, updated weekly, online at nic.edu/emerys.