Tulsa chefs guide OSUIT culinary students through allergen-conscious fine dining
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Media Contact: Hicham Raache | Communications Coordinator | 918-293-4678 | hicham.raache@okstate.edu
Cowboy Chef’s Table once again proved to be a grand affair, serving delectable three-course meals prepared by OSUIT’s culinary students under the guidance of two renowned chefs who run The Meat and Cheese Show.
The high-end dining experience was held on March 12 in the State Room and was attended by 100 guests. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit scholarships that go to Culinary Arts students. The OSUIT Culinary Arts Program has hosted Cowboy Chef’s Table each semester for over a decade.
Cowboy Chef’s Table was the culmination of a week of specialized training for Culinary Arts students under the expert tutelage of Chefs Joel Bein and Amanda Simcoe of The Meat and Cheese Show, a premier Tulsa-based special events catering company.
Bein and Simcoe shared their expertise in the kitchen with the Culinary Arts program’s advanced level students. The chefs guided the students in preparing the meal and gave a presentation to those in attendance about the items on the menu.
The fine dining luncheon featured the following three-course menu with each item meticulously selected by Bein and Simcoe:
- First course: Spinach frisee salad, blood orange, pickled radish and sliced duck breast with warm duck fat vinaigrette
- Second course: Duck confit mezzelune, duck and parmigiano brood and chives
- Dessert course: Citrus & olive oil cake, candied citrus peel and candied duck bacon
This was Bein and Simcoe’s second time guiding OSUIT Culinary Arts students for Cowboy Chef’s Table. For this iteration, they designed a special menu, taking into consideration an important concern.
“We came to [the students] with the menu already created, with the idea of teaching them about different food allergies, mainly because [Amanda’s] allergic to everything,” Bein said.
The chefs emphasized the importance of being thorough when determining which ingredients are food allergens and what can be used as a substitute.
Simcoe said she and Bein worked with the students in identifying risk factors. She described how she guided them through the evaluation process that goes into selecting ingredients that are not allergens, i.e. carrots.
“‘What would you normally put in? Obviously, I can't have commercial stock because there are carrots in it, so we have to make this from scratch, and let's talk about making this from scratch. There are ingredients that go into dishes that add a lot of flavor, that add body to it. If I take this [ingredient] away from you, stop and think, what could we put in here in place that will create a flavorful, rich, full-bodied, complete dish or component of a dish?’ And I kind of got to work with them on that,” she said.
The students were well-prepared and showed well-honed instincts, Simcoe said.
“They were very proactive. A lot of times, you'll have to say, ‘Hey, we're going to need this for this to happen,’ and we would turn around and this is already sitting there,” she said. “It's really a testament to the fantastic level of education they're getting and the caliber of instructors that they have.”
Culinary Arts student Kaydence Beshear said Cowboy Chef’s Table was a challenge that required impeccable food preparation and presentation, but the result was highly gratifying.
“I liked coming out [to the dining room] and watching everybody's expressions as they tasted their desserts, and then everybody at the very end congratulating us for making their meal. It felt really rewarding,” Beshear said.
Beshear has cooked for many years, originally learning home and Southern cooking from her grandma. She said she relished the opportunity to prepare high-end cuisine.
“Being able to experience and expand my palette and learn everything that I can here, it's been so far so good,” she said.
Rick and Darlene Sandifer drove about 45 minutes from Stone Bluff, Okla., to attend Cowboy Chef’s Table. Rick purchased the tickets for Darlene’s birthday in January. The event was postponed due to weather, but the couple did not miss the rescheduled luncheon.
“It was delicious and a nice sized bite. It was quite a good experience,” Rick Sandifer said. “The food quality was excellent.”
“The presentation was beautiful,” Darlene added.
OSUIT Chief Auxiliary Officer Ina Agnew said Cowboy Chef’s Table serves many positive purposes.
“It's just a really great way to bring the community in to see what it is that these students are learning and at the same time raise money for the students to continue with their education,” Agnew said.
The Okmulgee community has continually supported OSUIT and its Culinary Arts program, and Cowboy Chef’s Table has been no exception, according to OSUIT Vice President of Operations Chris Benge.
“It’s novel in that we get to be exposed to professional chefs who talk about preparation and how they fix their meals, usually food items or menu items that we're not always familiar with,” Benge said. “It has a lot of uniqueness to it, but it really reinforces a foundational program at OSU IT. And we're always looking to engage the community. And this is a really good opportunity to engage our community.”