At the Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks, students get a complete education in farm-to-fork food preparation. They grow the produce and raise the animals that provide meat for the menu items, and everything is made from scratch.
Elegant and unique, with farm-to-fork food! This best describes the dining experience at The Keeter Center at Point Lookout in southern Missouri on the campus of the College of the Ozarks.
Located in southern Missouri at Hollister on the outskirts of Branson, the college, also affectionately known as Hard Work U, contains a farm where the students work to earn a college degree tuition free. While pursuing their studies, students must work at least 15 hours a week in all areas of the farm and campus, including the restaurant’s dining room and the all-suite lodge, which are both open to the public.
The campus and, of course, the restaurant are great destinations when vacationing in Branson. The restaurant and lodge are staffed by 350 students in this century-old college where the culinary operations have been directed for more than 15 years by my longtime friend and chef Robert Stricklin. The restaurant features many foods that are grown or produced by the students on the farm at the college. The college grows its own seasonal vegetables, raises livestock for dairy product s and fresh meat, and produces cornmeal from Edward’s Mill, an operation that began in the 1970s. One of the menu items that uses their cornmeal is the fried green tomato caprese appetizer which is topped with their award-winning jalapeño pepper jelly and garden-fresh pico de gallo.
Founded in 1906 by James Forsythe, a Presbyterian missionary, the college has flourished and grown to become a world-renowned private Christian school that offers more than 25 majors. Alcohol is not served at the restaurant or on the campus. However, many special teas, coffees, and Italian sodas, along with lemonade, can be enjoyed with the food.
The cuisine at The Keeter Center dining room is rooted in the type of hearty fare that southern Missouri and Arkansas are known for—homestyle offerings served in generous portions.
Although I have dined at the restaurant on several occasions, this time I started my meal with a charcuterie board that featured thinly sliced house-cured coppa (a flavorful cut of pork shoulder), summer sausage, smoked salmon, and hummus accompanied with lavash (a flatbread), and an olive, tomato, and pepper relish. While enjoying the appetizer, I reviewed the entrees before choosing the pork osso buco. Next, I received a basket of their signature breads. Earlier in the afternoon, while meeting with Chef Stricklin, he told me the story of how their yeast roll formula was developed. It is made with finely ground corn flour, which is a byproduct of the milling process of the cornmeal at the Grist Mill. The rolls have become a guest favorite. Along with the yeast rolls, the basket also contained two cinnamon cranberry biscuits accompanied with a plate of house-churned butter, strawberry butter, and old-fashioned apple butter.
Next, I received my entree, a kingly portion of pork osso buco. The pork shank was fork-tender, a result of a long slow braise in a rich rosemary-infused sauce, and was served with cremini mushrooms, petite diced root vegetables, and pearl onions on a bed of mashed potatoes and baby carrots.
By this time, I was stuffed, but my server enticed me to finish the meal with a dessert made in their bakery. I chose a unique cheesecake. I expected it to be a dense New York-style cheesecake; however, I was surprised by the lighter creamy density of the cheesecake filled with a traditional style pecan pie served on a chocolate ganache and sprinkled with candied pecan pieces. In a word: delightful.
The dining room is managed by Emily Howard, a past graduate of the program, and features a cozy atmosphere with furnishings of rich oak, an antique copper and brass ceiling, a broad fireplace, and a baby grand piano, often played by student musicians on the weekends or for special occasions. The delightful demeanor of the student staff is reminiscent of the warm, old-fashioned, hospitable manner of the Ozark region. The style in which they are trained matches perfectly with their cuisine, which Chef Stricklin described as “high southern cooking.”
The Keeter Center is a spacious and unassuming yet refined restaurant. It is a relaxing alternative to the busting tourist-filled downtown Branson strip.
All photos courtesy of Daniel Pliska
Article originally published in the June 2024 issue of Missouri Life.
