The Ready for the World Café began in 2008, under the direction of John Antun, assistant professor in the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management. Antun, a certified executive chef with a doctorate in higher education administration, spent more than 40 years in the hospitality industry and opened and operated four successful restaurants in the New York metropolitan area. The café was designed to be an international buffet operated by students in the advanced food production and service management class, Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism (HRT 445) lasting 10 weeks a term. It originally opened from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, in the Hermitage Room in the university center. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, supplied the food, and its employees did the cooking. The students in HRT 445 devised the recipes and managed the employees. Students chose the name Ready for the World Café, linking their project to the university’s international and intercultural initiative, Ready for the World. The café moved to the UT Visitors Center and included students from the UT Culinary Institute and Pellissippi State Culinary Institute, as well as those in HRT 445.