Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
december 2009 / the tasting panel / 65 hospitality programs. Yet of the 14 programs, The Collins College is the only college en- tirely dedicated to hospitality in the state. Two years ago, Feinstein was appointed by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed as the CSU Direc- tor of Hospitality Management Education to help the 14 programs run synergistically. "As educators, we have a direct role in shaping the future of this industry through our students, and we must assure our efforts are aligned with the needs of industry," Fein- stein said. "When we collaborate to discuss best practices and ways to work together, there is a potential to do great things." The college may be part of a state institu- tion, but all of its facilities have been built with private donations. The four-building expansion will be no different. Longtime supporters and namesakes of the college Carol and Jim Collins have pledged to match up to $5 million for the building expansion. Work is ongoing to raise the matching funds. Many good things are happening at the college. Its Board of Advisors has enlisted captains—and legends—of our industry. Its 26 faculty members teach roughly 1,000 students, and enrollment is growing. Class- rooms can be standard seat-and-stage lec- ture halls, but many of the learning centers are working kitchens, wine bars and wine- centric "sensory perception" tasting centers. Thanks to endowments from philanthropic donors and the industry itself, The Collins College is able to offer scholarships and cer- tification programs, including Level I and II sommelier classes taught by Master Somme- liers and, beginning in fall of 2010, Califor- nia's first Master of Science in Hospitality Management program. A Beverage Manage- ment club was also just recently initiated. "We'll raise $30 million in the next five to seven years," predicts Feinstein. "The plan is to refurbish our buildings, to keep improving quality of classes and environ- ments for students and to bolster the ways that have already made the college one of the best in the nation. Our biggest goal is to bring our students—successfully and well- prepared—into the workforce." The heart and soul of The Collins College is its working restaurant, The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch, open to the public and staffed by faculty and students. "It's the best kept secret in the Inland Empire," insists Feinstein. The students prepare a themed special, while the chef faculty devises the lunch and dinner menus. The cuisine is fresh, creative and artfully presented. Farm-to-table is the latest trend on-prem- ise, and the seed is planted at The Collins College. Chef Scott Rudolph demonstrates sustainable farming while creating ideas for seasonal menu items at his garden, a part- nership between The Collins College and Cal Poly Pomona's College of Agriculture. "Our wines also pay for this garden," Chef Rudolph explains, pointing to more than an acre of grafted Zinfandel cuttings from 100- year old rootstock. The wine brand, Horse- hill Vineyards, is made from preserved Cucamonga Valley vines. The private- label wines are available for sale at The Collins College's Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch. Asparagus (pictured here) thrives in the culinary garden, along with beans, roots, lettuce, radish, arugula and many other seasonal vegetables. Cal Poly Pomona's award-winning private label, Horsehill Vine- yards. The vines are grafted from 100-year- old rootstock from Rancho Cucamonga, a grape-growing area east of Los Angeles with a history that dates back to the middle of the 19th century.