City: Sevierville, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (865) 774-5817

Address: 1720 Old Newport Highway

Description: Put yourself at the mercy of the aspiring young chefs at this community-college culinary arts program, and you’ll end up with a wonderful meal with great service at a remarkably low price. Located at the Walters State Community College campus in Sevierville, the institute serves a cafe-style lunch to the public Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. throughout the academic year, as well as reservation-only gourmet lunches and dinners offered about once a week. A typical meal might feature a lineup of potato skins, Caesar salad, chicken breast Parmesan, pork loin, rice pilaf, and vegetables. Occasional “international weeks” feature cuisine from various ethnic cultures. Space fills up quickly, so the best way to snag a reservation is to get on the institute’s mailing list and call as soon as you get the e-mail announcement. The institute, begun in 1998, now takes up an entire wing of the college’s $6.5-million building, which boasts three state-of-the-art kitchens where food is prepared for 75 to 100 guests per meal. The cafe-style lunches are $6 per person (tax included), and any tips left behind help cover the culinary arts program’s scholarship fund and operational expenses. The reservation-only events generally cost between $12 and $15 per person.