Already tired of the cafeteria food this spring semester? Then head over to the Oak Cafe,  where American River College’s student-run bakery and restaurant re-opened Wed. Feb 12. 

“The Oak Café bakery and restaurant are key aspects of our culinary program, as they provide real world experience for our students and at the same time offer a fine dining experience for happy patrons.” Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer, said in an email interview.

Oysters on the half shell with verjus mignonette and pickled vegetables, oven-roasted LLano seco pork with braised greens, and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and a side of vanilla ice cream are just a few of the items on the menu for the first week. The full menu and dates are the Oak Cafe’s page on the American River College website.    

Meals range in price:a single entree is $13, an entree and a single course is $15 and the three-course lunch is $17. 

Like the menus that change from week to week, the jobs that the students do also change from week to week. This means that the students’ responsibilities will change to teach a wider variety of skills. 

The menu has a variety of foods, with the themes changing every week. For instance the first week is “Southern Hospitality” while another, later theme is “A Taste of the Philippines”.

The cafe is located by the theatre parking lot and is attached to the culinary building. The cafe is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. 

The bakery is open during the same days, Wednesday through Friday, but from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and is funded by the proceeds made, according to the bakery website.

Reservations are not needed but are recommended and can be made by calling (916) 484-8526.