By Maddie Marriott
THERE ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT THE WORLD OF COOKING that just can’t be taught in the classroom. At least that’s the philosophy of Tyler Baxter, chef-instructor in the culinary program at Northampton Community College (NCC). Enter Hampton Winds at NCC. It’s the college’s student-staffed restaurant and it happens to host one of the most sought-after pop-ups in the Lehigh Valley.
“The whole point is to utilize local farms and local wineries, breweries, or distilleries to create a cohesive pairing menu that gives our students a good insight into what the real world really looks like when you’re doing specialty events in the private sector,” Baxter says.
Students take part in the process of organizing the pop-ups from beginning to end, including drafting the menu, obtaining all the necessary ingredients, and planning the details of the event. And, of course, cooking the dishes.
What’s for Dinner at Hampton Winds at NCC
September’s pop-up is the fourth event organized by Baxter and his students. It will feature a five-course experience with inspirations from all across the globe, including a za’atar lamb dish for the third course and a Southeast Asian–inspired watermelon mousse for dessert. It features produce from Wonder Garden in Hellertown and wine pairings from Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery in Breinigsville.
“We’re gonna blow the doors off, just doing really cool food,” Baxter says. “We have some Mediterranean-inspired dishes, Asian-inspired food … . We’re trying to run the gamut and give our students as broad of a perspective as they possibly can see, from conception to putting food on the plate.”
Baxter hopes that the pop-up’s blend of global and local will bring food lovers together. “It’s communal seating,” he explains. “I want to force these interactions between the people who are here because they’re here for a specific reason, right? They enjoy food.”
Baxter wants to create meaningful conversation among guests with these experiences. It feels especially important after the past few years have isolated many of us. “We create experiences in our line of work,” he says. “That’s the whole mission behind this—creating these unique one-off experiences that our guests really can’t find anywhere else in the [Lehigh] Valley.”
