From its beginning, everyone knew Stout's hotel and restaurant management program was going to add a new dimension to the campus. Any doubt of that ended when in 1969 the program's haute cuisine class staged the first of what was to become part of a series of annual monumental dining experiences.
Typically, the dinner lasted from 8-10 hours, involved 12-14 courses, 75 students and 20,000 hours of research and preparation. Reservations were called in from all parts of the United States, but attendance was generally held under 100.
By 1984, the cost of the dinner had risen to $150 a couple. Without generous donations, that amount would have been far short in covering total costs. For example, dinner ingredients in 1984 included 55 pounds of butter, 50 dozen eggs, 63 pounds of apples, 96 cantaloupe, 132 pounds of onions, 75 pounds of veal scallops, 60 pounds of turtle meat, 82 pounds of sole fillets, 60 pounds of Alaskan king crab, 90 whole rabbits, 90 fresh trout, 180 dungeness crabs and 180 crayfish. Only the best wines were selected for each course. Silver, china and crystal were on loan. Menus were drawn up using themes that had historic significance in classical dining. National magazines, newspapers and television networks often sent reporters to Menomonie to cover the event.
The first chairman of the hotel and restaurant management department, Harry
Purchase, and one of his staff members, John Bryson, established the dinner
to challenge the management skills of their students.
Source: Interpreting the Dream - A
Stout History
