Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and to celebrate, University Dining sponsored a Valentine’s Day Dinner Friday night at Case Dining hall.

University Dining frequently sponsors such events, all of which have been very popular on campus. Some of these past events include the “Around the World” dinner, “A Night in Paris,” and the original Valentine’s Dinner in 2009.  

The Valentine’s Day Dinner in 2009 operated a little differently than this year’s. During the former one, students remained seated, ordered off of a menu and were waited on by catering staff.

This year, students were asked to RSVP in pairs, be it dates or just a fun dinner for friends. The menu was posted online preceding the event, so students could decide what to try.

Instead of ordering off of a menu this year, different food stations were set up. Students had a choice between two salads to start off with. There were five entree dishes, two of which were vegetarian options. The meal was finished with four dessert choices, including a chocolate fountain.

The students weren’t the only ones excited for this event.

“Our team [was] excited to prepare a great tasting meal to showcase their culinary skills,” Kelley Brackett, public communications specialist for Campus Enterprises who helped plan the events, said.

“Planning and executing the Valentine’s Dinner creates excitement within our culinary team and staff. It is truly a meal prepared with love,” Bob Sorochak, director of Case Dining Hall, said.

The University Dining Culinary team of Chefs included Bill Brizzolara, Kevin Nichols, Mack Bell, Steve Lester, Joe Nalley, and Yves Ruiz, as well as cooks from Fountain and Case. The menu was created and prepared by Izesta Brown, Josh Heath, Jamali Parson and Kelly Winn.

There were two different dining sessions, one at 6 p.m. and another at 7:30. The tables at Case were swathed in white tablecloths and capped off with vases of flowers, which students could take with them at the end of the meal. The lights were dimmed and each table had small, fake candles to give off mood lighting.

Local musician Cecil Johnson played jazzy love songs on saxophone and flute while students ate.

“I love jazz and I thought the music was great,” Elizabeth Goins, freshmen in biological sciences, said.

Not everyone enjoyed the  music quite as much as Goins did.

“It was a little annoying,” Caroline Nieman, freshman in Spanish education, said.

“It was nice for the background,” Elizabeth Brenneman, freshmen in English, said.

Nieman heard about the event through an advertisement in Clark, and was eager to attend with her friend. Goins also attended with a large group of friends.

“It was good for couples, I guess, but it was also good for just friends,” Goins said.

Most students who went were more eager to sample the upscale menu than in fully celebrating Valentine’s Day.

“I don’t know what I expected, honestly,” Neiman said, “but it was fantastic.”

The menu was well-received by students, most saying they sampled a little bit of everything. Special favorites included the ravioli, cheesecake, and steak.

According to the students, the Valentine’s Day Dinner was a success, and a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.