Indianapolis Campus

Reviews & News

• Reviews: Read our reviews on OpenTable

News: 

Eating and education (Indiana Connection magazine) The Courses Restaurant at Ivy Tech Indianapolis prepares students with real-world culinary experience

• Chef Jenni Schouppe Named New Program Chair for School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management
• Chef Jeff Bricker to Retire After 28 Years of Culinary Excellence at Ivy Tech

• What it is: It’s a student-operated restaurant run by Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis. It operates as part of the college’s Hospitality, Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry, and related programs.

• How it got started / setting: The restaurant is tied into faculty-led courses (“Cuisine Courses”) that rotate through themes (classical French cuisine, specialized cuisine from around the world). It is meant to give students real restaurant experience—preparing food, cooking, serving, front-of-house, etc.

• Students in the Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry, and Hospitality Management / Customer Service classes participate. Some classes focus on food preparation and cooking; others on front-of-house (waiting tables, hosting, customer service).
• There are “Cuisine Courses” that are 8-week courses, where the theme (e.g., French cuisine, international cuisines) changes. When the restaurant is open, students in those courses will prepare the menu based on that theme.
• For front-of-house/customer service, there is a specific class (e.g. HOSP-207) which brings together students from culinary, baking, and hospitality management to run a dining room experience, develop leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. Students also earn certifications (like ManageFirst from NRA, ServSafe) as part of the curriculum.

1. Hands-on real-world training

• Students get experience working in a live restaurant setting, cooking, service, front of house, working under time pressure, etc. This is more than just simulated training—they are serving actual customers.

• They change roles, so one day a student might be cooking, another day serving, another cleaning or managing the service, etc.

2. Professional and soft skills development

• Customer service, leadership, teamwork, and communication are built into the experience. Students learn to coordinate with others (kitchen/front-of-house), manage time, deal with real guests, etc.

• Also, exposure to standards expected in industry (etiquette, consistency, quality) under real conditions.

3. Certifications/credentials

• Some classes include certification opportunities (like ManageFirst, ServSafe).

4. Scholarship & experiential learning

• The meals and tips contribute toward student scholarship funds, which may support travel or other experiential learning.

• Also, field trips and observing operations in fine dining, hotels, etc., to broaden exposure.

5. Graduation preparation/employability

• Because students are practicing in a live setting, they graduate with more job-ready skills. They understand both kitchen and service operations, which can help in obtaining jobs in restaurants, hotels, event management, etc.

Yes, the restaurant is open to the public during semesters (fall, spring, summer) for lunch and dinner, depending on class schedule. Reservations are required (via OpenTable or email) to dine there.

The cost is fixed (e.g., lunch ~$25, dinner ~$30) for three courses (appetizer, entrée, dessert). A portion of each meal price plus 100% of tips goes toward the student scholarship fund.

1. Building & Location History

• The building at 2820 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, which now houses Ivy Tech’s Culinary & Conference Institute (including Courses Restaurant and bakery/café), was originally the Stouffer’s Hotel, built in 1965.

• Prior to being the Stouffer’s Hotel, the property was originally the site of the mansion of Frank Van Camp, famous for Van Camp baked beans. The mansion was built in the late 1800s.

• After Stouffer’s Hotel closed (the hotel operated until the late 1980s), the building was later used by a Christian ministry (Bill Gothard’s organization) called the Indianapolis Training Center, before Ivy Tech purchased it.

2. Acquisition & Renovation by Ivy Tech

• Ivy Tech purchased the building in December 2010.

• With a grant of about $23 million from the Lilly Endowment and possibly other entities, Ivy Tech renovated the property to convert it into its Conference Center and Culinary Institute.

• The renovation included creating multiple modern culinary labs (9 kitchens), updated teaching kitchens, a restaurant space (fine dining), a bakery/café, conference/banquet spaces, etc.

3. Opening of Courses Restaurant

• The Conference Center and Culinary Institute at Ivy Tech, including the building for the restaurant, opened in August 2012.

• Around the opening, the restaurant “Courses” (the fine-dining, student-operated restaurant) also opened as part of the facility. In a 2012 article “New in Town: Courses Restaurant at Ivy Tech”, the restaurant and the larger institute were noted as just opening with the new semester. Indianapolis Monthly

4. Other Key Historical Notes

• The building’s penthouse restaurant in the old hotel was named The Ramsgate. Some of its ornate architectural features (woodwork, stained glass, etc.) from the Van Camp estate and from the former hotel were preserved during the renovations.

• The transformation of the facility (from hotel to culinary institute) was part of a broader push to upgrade Ivy Tech’s facilities and provide students with professional-grade kitchens and live training settings. Chef Jeff Bricker played a major role in envisioning and designing these facilities.

• The program is run by Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, through its School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.

• Key leadership:

• Chef Jeff Bricker was the long-time program chair of the culinary program; he recently retired. https://www.ivytech.edu/about-ivy-tech/news/indianapolis/2025/chef-jeff-bricker-to-retire-after-28-years-of-culinary-excellence-at-ivy-tech/

• As of mid-2025, Chef Jenni Schouppe is the new Program Chair for the School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management. https://www.ivytech.edu/about-ivy-tech/news/indianapolis/2025/chef-jenni-schouppe-named-new-program-chair-for-school-of-culinary-arts-and-hospitality-management/

• Professors also play important hands-on roles in teaching and supervising the students (e.g., Matt Jarson, etc.)