Lemon Tree Cafe continues tradition, offering unique experience for students, exceptional dining to the community

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2025) —  Lemon Tree Cafe is a living classroom and restaurant where University of Kentucky students gain real-world experience in all aspects of food service.

Housed within the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment's Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition (DHN) and located on the second floor of Erikson Hall, Lemon Tree Cafe has provided fine dining and hands-on learning to students since 1976. The cafe is open during a limited time each fall and spring semester, serving lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

In a lecture course on quantity food production taught by David Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department, students learn concepts and skills that translate into real-world experience with Chef Rachel Bryant in Lemon Tree Cafe.

Tammy Stephenson, Ph.D., department chair and professor, recognizes the impact of the course, both at UK and locally.

“Lemon Tree Cafe provides students with real-world application, applying the knowledge they are gaining in the classroom, while also providing a quality and unique dining option to the campus and Lexington community,” Stephenson said.

Students rotate every six dates of service through roles including managers, chefs, servers and dishwashers, allowing them to see all elements of a restaurant team. Upon arrival each Tuesday and Thursday, students begin preparing and cooking food, setting up the dining room and taking turns overseeing operations before transitioning to service for guests to arrive at noon.

“Some students come in not knowing how to cook and not having that confidence in the kitchen, and by the time they leave, you can see them grow in that confidence to be able to carry that on in their everyday life,” Bryant said. “Just seeing the students’ excitement over being able to prepare these amazing meals and being able to carry it out and see the fruition is amazing.”

At Lemon Tree Cafe, guests enjoy a different menu each day the restaurant is open, including a starter, entrée, side, dessert and drink for $18. The menus are developed by Bryant, the course’s teaching assistants and undergraduate instructional assistants to coincide with lecture content and keep classic favorites offered regularly.   

“Lemon Tree Cafe is a tradition, and we have a lot of individuals that want to see the tradition carried on and see the success of programs we put so much into,” Bryant said. “I think that's why a lot of customers return."

This semester’s menu has several special features, including breakfast for lunch; guest chef spotlights with The Food Connection’s Tanya Whitehouse and Tem Burikhanov; holiday meals; an Asian-inspired lunch; and more. Each offering focuses on connecting local food systems and promoting Kentucky.

The course is for both dietetic and hospitality students alike, teaching them leadership in either field and showing them how food service fits into whichever industry they are interested in.

“It allows hospitality and dietetic students to see the connections between the two different groups and opportunities to work together,” Johnson said. “The management skills are transferable no matter what area they are going into."

Loren Stewart, a nutrition and food systems graduate student, has been a part of Lemon Tree Cafe since Fall 2024 — first as student, then as undergraduate instructional assistant and now as teaching assistant.

She said that Lemon Tree Cafe and the accompanying course provide personal and professional development and help students gain perspective on the importance of individual roles within food service. This knowledge is vital to Stewart as a future dietitian.

“I loved my time in the class and thought that it was a really transferable experience,” Stewart said. “This course provides a wide variety of cooking skills that can be beneficial when working with clients or patients and gives you the ability to pass that knowledge on to them. I will take the skills of plate waste data, managing a kitchen, creating a menu, preparing food in bulk and ensuring food safety into my dietetic internship and future career.”

For Brandon Taylor, an undergraduate instructional assistant (UIA) and hospitality management and tourism student at Martin-Gatton CAFE, the real-life application of the concepts learned in Lemon Tree Cafe has been most valuable.

“Working in Lemon Tree Cafe has been such a great experience because it connects everything I’m learning in class to what I do at my restaurant job. Being in the kitchen has helped me understand how important communication, timing and teamwork are during service,” said Taylor. “As a UIA, I’ve learned how to support other students while improving my own skills, which has really helped me grow as a leader. Every service feels like a new opportunity to learn something different, and it’s rewarding to see how what we practice in the cafe applies directly to the hospitality industry.”

With a long-standing history on campus, Lemon Tree Cafe is still evolving and expanding; next spring, the restaurant will move into the newly renovated Scovell Hall.

“I’m excited to see how the course grows, especially with the upcoming new facility. I think that will be awesome, just seeing how it grows there and adapts to some of the changes in consumer demand and university experiences.” Johnson said. “I’m really excited for that progression forward.”

To dine at Lemon Tree Cafe, visit https://dhn.mgcafe.uky.edu/lemon-tree for reservation information. You can also sign up for Lemon Tree Cafe’s email list at https://qualtricsxmy9dntwl5y.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_87lar7qqaqzCPae.