Hospitality U: Hilton College Gourmet Night 2008 By Ashley Brown Allen
Hilton College’s student-orchestrated annual fundraising gala, Gourmet Night, attracted 382 guests
and made $23,000 from the silent auction alone.
Following a tradition since 1974, University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and
Restaurant Management recently held its annual fundraising gala, Gourmet Night. This unique event is planned and executed solely by students, who wow guests with tantalizing menus, intricate themes, beautiful presentations, and impeccable service. This year’s event, with a theme of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was no exception.
“We tried to make our theme tangible from the very beginning,” says Nathan Jarvis, student general manager of the event. “When guests arrived, they were greeted by a fire-juggling fairy named Puck. We had four other forest fairies, along with King Oberon and Queen Titania, who sat on a throne suspended from the ceiling. In the silent auction area, we had a ‘living fountain,’ a lady who stood in a tank with tubes of water running through her clothing.”
Jarvis and his team of 16 directors painstakingly planned these and all other details of the event and led a team of 300 student volunteers in carrying the theme through all aspects of the evening.
“The ballroom was a magical forest complete with organic foliage gobos; arches with overgrown branches and greenery; centerpieces that included purple orchids, pink and orange roses, and curly willow; and star-studded midnight blue tablecloths.”
Though the menu was planned entirely by the students, Lance Fegen, chef and co-owner of the local Glass Wall bistro, served as guest chef. The seven-course dinner paired wine and beer with creations like Smoked Salt-Roasted Squab with Parmesan Squab Risotto Cake and Pequillo Pepper Coulis; Rosemary- Thyme Crusted Venison Chop with Sauce Bordelaise; and Braised Pork Belly with Pork Jus Reduction and Spring Vegetable Barley Pilaf. A “Chocolate Study”
ended the meal with Dark Chocolate Pavé, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Semifreddo, and White Chocolate Chambord Truffle.
With 382 guests in attendance and $23,000 in college funds raised from the silent auction alone, the students considered Gourmet Night 2008 a success.
“Every year, the team tries to find ways to make the event better than the year before. We went above and beyond with entertainment, theme, and personal attention to our guests, even to the extent of handing out personally addressed and handwritten thank-you notes to each one. At the end of the night, our 300-plus student volunteers paraded through the ballroom to thunderous applause.”
