At Signatures, it is not just a dining experience. It’s a learning experience as well.

Each semester, SUNY Delhi students hone their talents for the real world through Signatures, a restaurant that actually serves as a college course that teaches Delhi hospitality students menu preparation, food purchasing, front-of-house management controls, elements of proper table service, and food preparation.

Signatures is located on the top floor of Delhi’s Alumni Hall Hospitality Center, a contemporary hospitality and conference center. The facility is the perfect setting for students to experience the rigors of running a gourmet restaurant. It sets the standard high for food and service. Signatures students serve as attentive wait staff and present dishes that resemble culinary works of art.

“Our goal is to mirror what happens in the industry, and impart that experience to our students” says Chef Thomas Recinella, CEC, AAC, Associate Professor and Culinary Arts Program Director. “But that also means an exceptional dining experience for our customers. We serve very high quality food proficiently right.”

Alumni Hall is situated at the heart of the Delhi campus with parking located at the back entrance to Signatures. You may notice the hustle and bustle of students and faculty making their way to class. But as you enter the restaurant, you are transported to an Art Deco-themed dining room where a student host or hostess cheerfully greets you and you soon forget you are on a college campus.

Be prepared for an incomparable tasting event. Signatures is Delhi’s training ground for future chefs and food service managers. The college’s culinary arts program is the most decorated in New York State and its hot food team has won nine American Culinary Federation State Championships and four ACF Northeast Region Championships.

Chef Recinella says there is no “hand holding” when the students execute selections from the Signatures by Candlelight menu. Ranging from the culinary influences of Classical French, American Regional and Global, the food is prepared with a focus on skill. “Every cooking technique and every pillar of cooking is covered,” says Chef Recinella, which explains the menu’s diversity and authenticity.

Signatures by Candlelight is an evening of elegant dining. A starter course begins the meal with a rich, deep-bodied roasted chicken consommé garnished with a braised chicken profiterole (puff pastry), a blue cheese soufflé with field greens and fresh picked vegetables, or tender pan-seared sea scallops with fondant potato and Sauce Foyat. Other starters to choose from are the gnocchi, handmade Italian potato dumplings with parmesan cream asparagus and house-made pancetta, and the duet of pork, braised pork belly and grilled pork tenderloin with marsala plum sauce and apple fennel puree.

There is a variety of main courses from which to choose. The Chicken Chausseur is a contemporary play on the classic French dish served with house-made spaetzle and a fresh vegetable du jour. The Short Rib of Beef Bourguignon offers tender beef braised in red wine with pearl onions accompanied by potato puree and glazed root vegetables. A Pan Seared Fillet of Salmon is a buttery fillet with tomato-leek buerre blanc and toasted almond rice pilaf or you can select the Fish of the Day, which is served with appropriate sauce and accompaniments. A Choice Fillet Mignon is also available, which is a tender six-ounce, center cut fillet mignon basted in butter and served with a fine rich Madeira and mushroom demi-glace accompanied by shoestring potatoes and a fresh vegetable. For the vegans, there is a Vegetarian Wellington of tender tofu and handmade seitan with mushroom duxelle, pine nuts and fresh herbs encased in a whole-wheat crust accompanied by barley pilaf and lentil ragout. In addition to these entrees,
the students offer a “global special of the night” that features a cuisine from abroad.

Signatures by Candlelight’s dessert choices are just as varied. A Cherries Jubilee is made table-side and served with a warm chocolate cake and house-made vanilla ice cream. You can also choose from the Carrot Cake cheesecake, which is topped with cheese cake mousse and served with carrot ginger sorbet, or the Crème Brule du Jour that features a new smooth and velvety flavor each week.

Wine pairings are available for an additional charge, and a student sommelier is happy to assist you with a choice that matches your food selections.

Cailyn Bashaw, a culinary arts major from Owlshead, NY, who is part of Signatures by Candlelight, says the students take the work very seriously. “It’s not just about getting a grade. You gain a respect for the work whether you are working at the front of the house or in the kitchen. You try
to put out the best product for every customer.”

Signatures by Daylight presents a lighter fare for the lunch crowd by Delhi hotel and restaurant majors, but diners will notice that the same amount of attention goes into the lunch menu. Menu selections include the restaurant’s famous Classic French Onion Soup topped with toasted bread and gruyere cheese, Texas Chili with cubed sirloin of beef cooked slowly and served with golden corn bread, a Grilled Tuna Nicoise, a Traditional Cobb Salad served “Brown Derby” style, and a traditional Caesar Salad to which you may add grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp for an additional charge. There is a selection of Signatures sandwiches served with homemade potato chips and a
pickle. They include: an eggplant, roasted red pepper and fontina cheese panini on house-made hard-crusted Italian bread with creamy pesto; a brie and house-smoked Virginia-style ham, roasted pear panini with red onion jam on house-made sour dough bread; and a curried chicken salad with apricots, sultanas, and toasted almonds on a homemade croissant. Meat lovers will be
happy to find on the menu the SUNY Delhi Burger, six-ounces of house-ground chuck on a handmade English muffin with cheddar cheese, bacon and horseradish cream. There is also a “build your own burger” that starts with the six-ounce house-ground chuck on a Kaiser roll to which you may add your choice of sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, bacon, and cheddar, American,
Swiss or Fontina cheese.

“Signatures is an amazing opportunity to see the talent Delhi’s hospitality students can offer,” says Associate Professor Rick Golding who organizes the front-of-house staff. Students are well rewarded for good food and service. They receive a cash bonus from the gratuities left by Signatures guests. According to Professor Golding, few hospitality schools have working restaurants that allow students to keep the gratuities. At Delhi, he assures that the students keep every dollar.

In early April, Signatures is the setting for the college’s Kevin Zraly Scholarship Endowment dinner. The dinner raises funds for student scholarships, but it’s also an opportunity for Delhi culinary students to work alongside a notable guest chef while learning about particular cuisines. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant.

Signatures by Daylight offers daily specials from 10:30 am to 1 pm. Signatures by Candlelight offers elegant gourmet dinners prepared by SUNY Delhi’s award-winning culinary students Friday evenings from 5:30 pm to 7 pm in Alumni Hall. You may preview weekly menus in advance by visiting www.delhi.edu/signatures. Make your reservations Monday through Thursday
between 9 am and 4 pm by calling 607 746 4351. Business casual attire is recommended.