{"id":13531,"date":"2026-05-02T21:45:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/pro-chef-teaches-fine-dining-to-nutrition-and-hospitality-students-the-daily-mississippian\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T21:45:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:45:24","slug":"pro-chef-teaches-fine-dining-to-nutrition-and-hospitality-students-the-daily-mississippian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/pro-chef-teaches-fine-dining-to-nutrition-and-hospitality-students-the-daily-mississippian\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro chef teaches fine dining to nutrition and hospitality students – The Daily Mississippian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lenoir Dining, a student-run restaurant located in Lenoir Hall on Sorority Row, is expanding its operations to the South Oxford Center on South Lamar Boulevard.\u00a0<\/span>
The University of Mississippi\u2019s Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management manages Lenoir Dining, which serves lunch in Lenoir Hall on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. While the restaurant <\/span>encourages<\/span><\/a> making a reservation, walk-ins are welcome and a takeout option is available.\u00a0<\/span>
Jeffrey Pittman II, an instructional assistant professor of nutrition and hospitality management, shared his ideas regarding potential plans for the expansion. These could include expanded seating and menu options, more hands-on opportunities for students and increased community involvement.<\/span>
\u201cWe are trying to strategize a move to the South Oxford Center,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have what\u2019s called the Innovation Kitchen, where we will be able to expand Lenoir Dining from roughly 80 seats to double. We will be able to offer a variety of options outside of just your standard, casual-dining three-course meal, such as a \u2018grab-and-go\u2019 or a specialty bakery option.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
Innovation is a cornerstone of the department\u2019s expansion plan, according to Pittman.<\/span><\/span>
\u201cCooking is nothing but the science of food,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re really trying to utilize \u2014 more of a science hub between hospitality, culinary and nutrition.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
Pittman is excited about the planned commercial kitchens, which could enable more collaboration with experienced restaurant professionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
\u201c(Local businesses) can utilize our commercial kitchens and even bring in various business owners from the community to be guest speakers and showcase their skills in front of our students,\u201d Pittman said.\u00a0<\/span>
Oxford resident and retired certified public accountant Hugh Lee, a 1972 graduate of the University of Mississippi is a regular at Lenoir Dining. He is ready to see the restaurant grow by mitigating current issues affecting the general public’s attendance.<\/span>
\u201c(My wife and I) love coming here. The food is great; the kids are great; it feels fresh and homemade,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThey should expand it to accommodate more people. It would be nice to have a facility that has more parking for the general public, because parking is difficult if you are not already located on campus.\u201d<\/span>
Pittman, or \u201cChef Jeff\u201d to his students, has spent five years at the university. He has served in his current role of instructional assistant professor since 2024, and he served in roles with Rebel Chefs Culinary and Baking Camp in the two years prior. Originally from West Point, Miss., Pittman learned to cook from his grandmother and soon began shadowing chefs in the area.\u00a0<\/span>
Prior to obtaining his master’s and Ph.D. in hospitality management from the University of Mississippi, Pittman served as a corporate chef for Gordon Ramsay Steak and Golden Nugget Casino and Resorts.
Lenoir Dining has fostered a community beyond Pittman and the students who work there. For Jillian Anderson, a first-year experimental psychology graduate student, it has become a place to return with her friends.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cI really like the food here. I love the garlic knots,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThis is my second time coming. I actually found it on Facebook, and I followed them and now my roommate eats here, too.\u201d<\/span>
Pittman tells his students that successful hospitality managers are, first and foremost, good with people. Poor communication can destroy any kitchen, whether that restaurant is a drive-thru or an upscale venue. To this end, Pittman emphasizes practicality in almost all of his lessons.<\/span>
\u201cEven though I love research, I\u2019m very practical,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about getting the students through our hospitality management programs so they can just get on with their lives. It\u2019s about developing them into effective leaders. In order to be a successful hospitality manager, it\u2019s not just knowing the skills, but how to actually do the aspects of your specific job.\u201d<\/span>
All hospitality management majors at the university are required to take the quantity food production and service (with lab) course at Lenoir Dining. During this time, students rotate through the restaurant, working both back-of-house and front-of-house positions and setting the menu.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cOftentimes, the students want to do a lot of French food and Mexican food,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cA couple weeks ago, we went ahead and tried a three-course Mexican menu, where you get three choices of entr\u00e9e \u2014 shrimp, chicken or some type of vegetarian entr\u00e9e, and then a homemade dessert. \u2026 We always try to have that three-course menu where the desserts are as homemade as possible.\u201d<\/span>
The kitchen aims not to use baking mixes in food production. Lenoir\u2019s student chefs have recently made sweet potato bread, cinnamon rolls and pudding. They have even reproduced Pittman\u2019s cinnamon apple pie recipe. Despite all the food being homemade, Lenoir Dining is surprisingly affordable. A three-course meal, which includes a drink, is only $15.\u00a0<\/span>
Hospitality students appreciate the experience Lenoir Dining offers.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cLenoir Dining has been more than just a class I have taken,\u201d Angie Mai, a junior hospitality management major from Corinth, Miss., said. \u201cIt\u2019s helped me learn about the behind-the-scenes of the food service industry while building great relationships with my classmates and even our guests. I have learned more about what it takes to work in the service industry while also applying it to everyday interactions, and it has been one of the highlights of my college career.\u201d<\/span>
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article contained incorrect information regarding Pittman’s employment history. These details have been corrected, and we regret the errors.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Lenoir Dining, a student-run restaurant located in Lenoir Hall on Sorority Row, is expanding its operations to the South Oxford Center on South Lamar Boulevard.\u00a0The University of Mississippi\u2019s Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management manages Lenoir Dining, which serves lunch in Lenoir Hall on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. While the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}