University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

The “magic moment” meal served to UB students consisted of herbed crouton salad, tomato-braised lamb shanks with orange and mint, and pistachio crème brûlée. Photo: EVERYDAY WITH RACHAEL RAY

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• “Most people are surprised when we tell them Chef Cee from Campus Dining and Shops at UB trained at the Culinary Institute of America.”

  Raymond Kohl

  Marketing Director, Campus Dining and Shops

By CHARLES ANZALONE

Published: April 28, 2010

When celebrity chef Rachael Ray chose UB as the backdrop for a celebratory meal in her wildly popular magazine, the chefs and managers of university food service knew just how to handle it:

They got ready to cook.

Campus Dining on Tuesday served about 30 members of the Student Advisory Board and a few selected UB staff members and special guests that celebratory meal featured in “Everyday With Rachael Ray,” Ray’s monthly magazine. The food feature, titled “This Magic Moment,” recommended four full-course menus to mark celebratory occasions. One of the occasions, “Your Teen Is College-bound,” featured UB-logoed paraphernalia as prominent elements of the photographic setting, including a letter of acceptance from UB’s Office of Admissions and a blue UB pennant.

The double-page magazine spread and accompanying recipes are available in the May issue, or by going online.

When Raymond Kohl, marketing director of Campus Dining and Shops, heard about the magazine spread, he contacted Nicholas Cee, executive chef of UB’s Three Pillars Catering, and set in motion the appropriate way to show the university’s appreciation to the celebrity cook and her magazine, which has a circulation of 1.8 million.

“Most people are surprised when we tell them Chef Cee from Campus Dining and Shops at UB trained at the Culinary Institute of America,” says Kohl. “He’s one of the best. Whether it’s in a dining center or catering a special event, we pride ourselves on preparing creative dishes with the freshest ingredients. In fact, our catering operation, Three Pillars Catering, serves fine gourmet food like this at weddings and other special events at the Jacobs Executive Development Center on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo all year round.

“Rachael Ray’s meal gave us a chance to show our stuff.”

The special lunch, served in the Tiffin Room in the Student Union as students entered exam week, included all the culinary bells and whistles of Ray’s article. The three elements of her celebratory meal (“Getting that special notice in the mail calls for grown-up dishes, served family style,” the article states) are herbed crouton salad, tomato-braised lamb shanks with orange and mint, and pistachio crème brûlée.