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Excellence is the standard at Blue & Gold Club
Often called the best-kept dining secret in Newark, the members-only club for UD faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students and friends of the University, regularly hosts elegant receptions and private parties for members, Laura DelPercio, manager, said. “We offer upscale meals comparable to what you can find in any club,” DelPercio said. “Because we are on campus, a lot of people don’t think of us like other country clubs but we are very similar. We are one of the most affordable places to dine compared to other fine dining places.” The three-story building, known as the Wright House, houses the Blue & Gold Club. Built in 1926 by E. Brinton Wright, a wealthy Newark industrialist, it was donated to the University by Mr. Wright’s widow in 1966. The club facilities include the main dining room, sun porch and terrace and the east porch on the first floor. The President, Newark and Charter rooms on the second floor can be used for private parties or receptions. In the club’s kitchen, Dan Beggs, executive chef, Sharon Altman, garde manger chef, Matthew Kelsay, sous chef, and Donna Crescenzo, pastry chef, prepare weekday buffet lunches and quickly fill orders from the main menu. Diane Keesee, assistant manager, supervises a pool of 30 UD students, many from the University’s hotel, restaurant and institutional management department, who wait tables in shifts arranged around their academic schedules. “It’s great working here,” Beggs said. “It’s a college environment, and in a club, you get to know most of the members. You also can get creative, and there is no limit to ideas.” Besides preparing a different buffet lunch every day, Beggs also plans daily specials, orders food supplies for the next day’s meals, supervises dinner and trains new employees.
“You have to be on your toes,” DelPercio said. “You have to constantly monitor everything to make sure that we really pay attention to detail. We are a VIP area on campus.” Keeping club members happy is a crucial function of the staff at the Blue & Gold, Altman said. “If there is something that I can do to make them happier before they leave the building, then I’ve accomplished something,” Altman said. “Whenever my colleagues need a hand, I’ll step in and do whatever I need to do to move things along. There is always a little bit of pressure but we say we can do it, and we go ahead and get it done. The atmosphere is good. It’s a good place to come.” Behind the scenes, Linda Moyer answers phone calls in her third-floor office and helps members with everything from new applications to renewals and billing. “I’m part secretary, part financial manager. I’m a jack-of-all-trades,” Moyers said. “If they are short-handed downstairs, I go there and help them. The people here are a fun bunch to work with. I love the kids. That’s what makes it fun. I treat them like they are my own kids.”
“On some days, we serve lunch and five different parties,” DelPercio said of the holiday season. “It’s a great challenge, but we always get it done. We are very lucky because we have great staff. There is nobody here that you would not like. It’s like a family. Sometimes, you are both the parent and the manager.” The idea of an on-campus dining club was implemented by UD President Emeritus E.A. Trabant. He and John A. Hodgson, then assistant vice president of business affairs, formed an eight-person committee to find a site, hire a staff, draw up a club constitution, select a name and launch a membership campaign. The fine dining restaurant, established in 1971, replaced the Faculty Dining Room located in the Perkins Student Center since 1964. Before the club’s opening, the building served as a temporary administrative office, a women’s residence hall and student infirmary during the renovation of other buildings on campus. Membership in the Blue & Gold Club costs $50 a year. Members are invited to participate in all Blue & Gold Club events and promotions and receive a quarterly newsletter and e-mail notices. They also may reserve the club for meetings, parties, weddings and special events. Temporary membership is available to individuals affiliated with the University and their guests for a $2 fee per visit.
The dinner menu offers club members such entrees as filet of beef Provencale, veal Oscar and pasta farfelle, as well as variety of poultry and seafood dishes. Some of the pastry chef’s creations include chocolate mousse, bananas Foster and warm soufflés topped with Grand Marnier, chocolate, lemon or hazelnut sauce. The Tavern offers an assortment of sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads and appetizers. DelPercio said persons who have never been to the club are in for a pleasant surprise. “People think that a campus dining facility is not the same as other clubs,” DelPercio said. “They’d be very surprised because we have excellent chefs.” For more information on how to join the Blue & Gold Club as a friend of the University, click here. Article by Martin Mbugua and Melissa Kadish, AS ’05, To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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