Budget cuts have stripped the Mesa cafeteria to bare bones. The selection of fried fare, snack foods and prepackaged desserts leave much to be desired. This monotonous menu has plagued the mesa cafeteria all year and students are hungry for something different.

The Culinary Art/Culinary Management program at Mesa is the answer. Students are surprised to hear that the CACM program has a fully functional restaurant on campus open to student use.

The M Fusion Café quietly resides behind the cafeteria. Passing through the wooden fence there is an outdoor seating area accompanied by a small indoor restaurant. The M Fusion Café is open for business Monday through Thursday from 11a.m. until 1p.m. with the dinning room partially filled with students and faculty calmly finishing their meals. The quiet atmosphere is a stark contrast from the bustling cafeteria.

This year the Executive Chef, Michael Fitzgerald, reversed the faculty only restriction allowing Mesa students to dine at the M Fusion Café.

The M Fusion Café is not just a restaurant on campus; it’s a hands-on lab for culinary students. The daily menu chosen by the students varies. On any given day the menu can include Roasted New Zealand Lamb salad for $4.00, baked Jamaican chicken for $5.50, and sautéed cod with pineapple salsa for $5.50, all welcome relief from the unimpressive selection of the cafeteria.

The M Fusion Café is a realistic simulation of the future work environment culinary arts students will encounter after graduation. Students work in pairs and rotate stations daily either in the front or back of the house. These stations include the steam table, char and flattop grill/deep fryer, sautee, cashier, dining room service, desserts and more. By rotating these stations daily, students become familiar with every aspect of running a successful restaurant.

In 2006, a $250,000 grant completely renovated the culinary arts program on campus. Today the culinary arts lab is unrecognizable compared to its former appearance. New tables, chairs, carpets, fabrics, and kitchen appliances were selected.

This budget boost, accompanied by Executive Chef Michael Fitzgerald’s contributions as a mentor, has transformed the M Fusion Café. Fitzgerald offers students advice to expand their culinary and retail management skills. His enthusiasm for the culinary arts is evident in his speech and behavior as he supervises the kitchen. As a student caramelizes onions in a large saucepan, he explains the simple physical reactions taking place while instructing the proper procedure.

“The Mesa culinary arts/culinary management program is about offering the best training, not trying to make money off students,” states Fitzgerald.

The M Fusion Café student staff has an impressive calendar of both campus and commercial events. Last June, 60 CACM students were hired to help cater the US Open Golf Tournament at the Torrey Pines golf course. The CACM also participates with Mesa academic and extracurricular activities. This fall the CACM program and the Mesa Theater department made a cooperative effort for the “Dinner and a Drama” event. Most recently the CACM program has catered the Tents of Intolerance even.

With this useful experience coupled with their Mesa training, Fitzgerald is optimistic concerning job opportunities for the culinary arts students adding, “People will always need to eat 3 times a day.”

The Mesa CACM program is preparing students to enter and hold leadership positions after graduation. The M Fusion Café is only one facet of this dynamic program, and is an excellent diversion from the Mesa cafeteria. All proceeds go directly back into the CACM program. It’s the perfect way to experience fine dining on campus while helping Mesa students succeed.