PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University School of Hospitality Business Management is seeking 100 participants for a pasta taste test survey at Black Cypress restaurant.
The survey will take place from 3:30–5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, at 215 E. Main St., Pullman. Participants may register by calling the restaurant at 509-334-5800 and asking for a spot in the study. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and have not participated in WSU’s 2021 pasta survey at Black Cypress.
Each participant will receive two pasta samples and answer a short questionnaire about texture and flavor preferences. Participants will receive a $20 Black Cypress gift card, and groups are encouraged to sign up together for same-table seating.
The survey is part of a collaborative study between the hospitality school’s Marriott Hospitality Culinary Innovation Center, the USDA ARS Western Wheat Quality Lab and Black Cypress restaurant. The study, which is funded by an Agricultural Research Services innovation grant, is also being conducted at Lodgepole restaurant in Moscow, Idaho, but all spots have been reserved.
“We are examining the sensory differences between two pasta samples made from locally grown and milled wheat,” said Jessica Murray, a doctoral candidate in the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management. She is involved in the study spearheaded by Alecia Kiszonas, WSU adjunct professor and USDA research biologist, and Jamie Callison, executive chef in the WSU Carson College of Business.
“This study is contributing to two papers,” she said, “One that examines local food preferences in your home — not at a destination — and the impact COVID-19 may have had on those preferences. The second study compares two different local pasta samples developed by the USDA.”
Media Contacts
- Jessica Murray, WSU School of Hospitality Business Management, 360-771-2008, jessica.murray@wsu.edu
- Sue McMurray, Carson College of Business, 509-335-7578, sue.mcmurray@wsu.edu
