Twenty Secchia Institute students volunteered their weekend to travel to Chicago and work at our department’s food show booth at the National Restaurant Association Food Show. They made hundreds of contacts: some for internship jobs and travel, some with suppliers interested in coming to SICE and donating their food and doing teaching demonstrations, and some with college students interested in a good culinary program.
While they rotated through the work times, they also were able to be more casual and experience the show, shake hands with chef stars, and get a few pictures. Evenings were filled with Chicago restaurant exploration.
The Secchia Institute was invited by the NRA and given a free $3,500 booth. While there were dozens of Hospitality Management and Hotel schools, we were one of only 4 culinary schools invited and the only non-private community college. We were in the company of the CIA, Kendall College, and the New England Culinary Institute. Comments from show attendees were that our students were the best dressed and our students looked great – our booth was the best of all the culinary school booths. We showed proud with our students being professionally dressed.
A very successful trip that was led by Dr. Kymberli Flanagan an adjunct instructor with the Secchia Institute. She, with the help of Mike Kidder and Marcia Arp ensured that the display was fantastic, the promotional material professional, and the details arranged. Thank you for again putting the Secchia Institute on the National Stage!
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