Sticking out with its bright yellow facade and late 1800s architecture, the enormous Patterson Block sits at the corner of Walnut and Main streets in downtown Muncie. Several restaurants and shops have come and gone throughout the century, but the students at Ivy Tech hope this new addition will keep its home among the ancient brick walls for time to come.
Chesterfield’s Cafe is a student-run cafe of Ivy Tech Community College’s culinary arts and hospitality departments — much like Ball State’s Allegre Cafe.
“We wanted to provide education for students [through] live scenarios,” manager of Chesterfield’s Ryan Bell said.
The cafe is named after former Chancellor Gail Chesterfield, who brought the hospitality department to Ivy Tech.
The cafe opened in January and has been a source of eclectic cuisine. A constantly changing item it works on is the soup of the day, which helps the students avoid getting into a routine and to expand their horizons, Bell said. Not one soup has been repeated the entire semester with soups that have ranged from the local chicken and noodle soup to Russian and Vietnamese soups.
Much of the challenge is figuring out what is going to sell and work for the cafe. The cafe aims to solidify a new menu item each semester. A recent dish Bell had students try to prepare is the pumpernickel focaccia lunch. The lunch may not have been a popular selection, but Bell said it gave students valuable experience.
“That’s how you teach students, through trial and error,” Bell said.
The menu varies greatly according to the day. However, staples of Chesterfield’s include its paninis and reubens, which Bell said are the two most popular items.
Chesterfield’s sells pizzas, including traditional toppings such as cheese and pepperoni, but they also have daily pizza specials. They use pizza sauce that comes from within Indiana to support local markets. In addition, Chesterfield’s makes deli sandwiches with its own artisan bread.
The cafe only accepts cash, but once it adds the appropriate wiring to the Internet, it will accept credit cards. Having just cash on hand has also helped Chesterfield’s keep its prices down to cover costs.
All of the money goes to Ivy Tech and the program. The cafe closes between semesters to give students a break, and the hours vary each semester depending on student schedules.
Chesterfield’s is open to improvement. Customers can leave comment cards and provide feedback about their service, and Bell takes the time to read each one.
“Feedback is critical, and we like constructive criticism,” Bell said.
Bell has noticed a fair amount of positive feedback. Ivy Tech’s students have won several awards over the past two years for their work in the kitchen, including awards from Savor The Flavor for the past two years at the Indiana State Fair and the “Best Entree” at Taste of Muncie.
Chesterfield’s does not have a specific target market, but students seek to satisfy business people who are looking for a quick and convenient lunch.
“We are open to people curious to see a student-run cafe, and we want curiosity to bring people downtown and eat at other restaurants, as well,” Bell said.
Chesterfield’s offers sandwiches from $3-4 based on meats and cheeses, pastries for $2, muffins for $1, a dozen cookies for $5, pizza by the slice from $1.50-2.50 and whole pizzas for $9-15 and soup from $2-$3.
