C8: New Mill and The School of Culinary Art

The various skills of food preparation, from the grinding of grain and the storing of milk to the final spicing and steaming of an exotic dish, are well taught at the institution commonly referred to as the "New Mill," or Mill College.

The instructors here include some of the finest chefs from across the Flanaess, each of course with his or her specialty dishes. But the college teaches far more than the preparation of delicacies.

The buildings and grounds include the New Mill building (in contrast to the Old Mill, a little ways downstream), which doubles as classrooms and offices. A small slaughterhouse and brewing cellar occupy the basement. The mill itself, while a working shop, is small, intended more for the teaching of students than the mass grinding of grain.

Next to the mill building is the Chateau, an establishment that is gaining ground in its bid to be the finest eatery in all the Free City. This elegant restaurant, with large, low-ceilinged dining rooms-each furnished with imported rugs, dark wooden beams, and a constantly crackling fireplace-serves only the products of the school. Its wines and beers are made in the basement of the school. The cooks, waiters, and other workers are students at the school. Though a Professor Chef supervises the kitchen, the students do all the food preparation. The prices at the Chateau are comparable to other fine eating establishments in the city. Open only during the dinner hour, it is always crowded.

Tuition here is about double that of Grey College, for the teachers are paid well. In addition, students pay for the materials they use in their studies , an amount that approaches the tuition amount. However, diligent but poor students can work off some of their school fees by putting in extra time in the mill, dairy, or slaughterhouse.

Students spend their first year here milking cows, grinding wheat and com, butchering pigs, and other unappetizing activities that are all necessary to the production of food.

By the second year, many students begin to branch into one of the college's specialty areas, though many others continue the entire course with the aim of getting a general culinary education.

The specialties include Brewing, Cheesemaking, Winemaking, Baking, Basic Chef Cookery, Exotic Cuisine, and Dietary Health. After three years, a student with passing marks is declared a Master in his chosen field-except for Exotic Cuisine. Only Master Chefs are admitted to this course, which takes an other two years of study.

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C8: New Mill College. The “New Mill” is one of two functioning mills within the city walls (the other is at C3). This three-story building serves many functions, being at once a regular grain mill, the headquarters of the Guild of Bakers and Cooks, the campus of New Mill College (where the chef's art is taught to students), and the site of a great cooking competition at the end of Brewfest. A small slaughterhouse and ale-brewing facility are in the large cellar. A nearby building, called the Chateau, serves as the main “hands-on” center for students of New Mill College. This is also an elegant restaurant open only for dinner and staffed by advanced student chefs; its prices are reasonable and the food is usually superb. Students here can learn any food-making proficiency during the two-year basic course. Advanced students gain enormous pay as master chefs. About a quarter of the 40—5O students here are halflings, many from Elmshire.

DM's Notes: The stress surrounding Old Mill (C3) infects New Mill College as well, as the two facilities share many common interests. An outbreak of food poisoning recently sickened some students, though no one died. This was not a result of evil intent, but the possibility is on everyone’s mind (with wild rumors of involvement by the Scarlet Brotherhood). Magical devices that detect and remove poisons and pests are being sought by the school, which is secretly contacting adventurers to hunt for such items.