SHL hosts premiere Food and Wine festival

The School of Hospitality Leadership’s (SHL) premiere Food and Wine Festival was March 24, 2023, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  The festival was a scholarship fundraiser for SHL and an experiential learning opportunity for SHL students.  Six students – Noelle Edwards, Sara Overton, Zachary Stephenson, Eliza Gemberling, Avery Thomas and Janelle Schwartz from food and beverage, event planning and lodging management concentrations – served on the development team putting their skills to work to plan and execute the event. 

Students from the principles of food preparation class and the advanced food production lab prepared 12 menu items as part of a class project.  The menu items ranged from savory to sweet. Beef Wellington, Sauteed Scallops with Beurre Blanc and Avocado Dip, Roast Pork on Tostones, Cucumber Gazpacho, Orange Cream Profiteroles and Lavender Macarons were among a few of the dishes.  Each dish was paired with a wine provided by two of our sponsors, Empire Distributors and Tryon Distributing.  Volunteers from SHL classes helped to set up and decorate the Darden Dining Room and Golden Corral Culinary Kitchens for the festival.  More than =50 student volunteers participated to help make the festival such a success. Performance Foods Group, Golden Corral and Equipment Plus Total Facility Solutions provided additional sponsorships to help with purchasing products for the event and marketing.

More than 60 guests enjoyed 2 hours of mixing and mingling while tasting the various food and wine pairings.

People mingle and sample food and wine at recent Food and Wine festival at ECU.