From a rollicking Oktoberfest party with hearty Germanic fare to an intimate chef’s table with a culinary luminary, special dining events at Washington University in St. Louis add a dash of excitement to campus life.

Each semester, a noted chef or food authority is invited to speak, demonstrate cuisine and prepare a special dinner. Recent participants have included noted cookbook author Mollie Katzen, founder of the famed Moosewood vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York, and Raghavan Iyer, a prominent Indian chef and author. Iyer’s visit in the fall coincided with Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, which involved several days of Indian cuisine on campus, including a post-Diwali dessert buffet.

With the opening of the 16-seat Chef’s Kitchen in the new South 40 Center dining facility, culinary personalities like Katzen and Iyer have a stage for performing small, personalized events for the food-savvy campus community. “It’s a good way to learn more about food and help people connect with each other,” says Nadeem Siddiqui, resident district manager for Bon Appetit Management, the university’s foodservice contractor. “Students, faculty and staff have such very busy schedules, this allows them to get together and share a meal.”

Other special events are held at Ibby’s Bistro, a 50-seat full-service restaurant on campus. Its patio is home to the Oktoberfest party with grilled German food, a polka band and seasonal beer from a local microbrewer. On Campus Sustainability Day last fall, Ibby’s presented a three-course dinner made entirely with local foods. The courses included a salad of Missouri watercress with Jonathan apples, apple cider vinaigrette, candied pecans and blue cheese, a main course of sautéed trout with green beans, fingerling potatoes and Missouri butter and a seasonal ice cream dessert.

Although the personalities and cuisines showcased on campus may come from around the world, the foodstuffs are typically sourced close to home and freshly prepared. “We like to do things from scratch,” says Siddiqui. “Most of our food is made in house, which is unique in this market.”