Hospitality Innovation Students Gain Experience at BGO's Chefs in the Garden Event

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Bumpers College hospitality innovation students assisted at the annual Chefs in the Garden fundraising event at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. The group included (front row, from left) honorary chef Vince Pianalto, Claire Wheeler, Madison Wilson, Mariah Hermsen, Sydney Marsh, Ginny LaTour and McKenna Rees; and (back row) Edgardo Romero, Jesse Brown, Francisco Ramos, Kim VanPaepeghem, Madelyn Freeman, Callie Anderson, Josie Reardon, Sam McLemore and Molly Harvie.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas hospitality innovation students from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences helped the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks raise funds by serving as volunteers at its annual Chefs in the Garden event on Sept. 12.

Students set up tables and chairs, assisted chefs and worked the zero waste station. In assisting chefs, students moved chefs in and set up their stations, helped prepare dishes and served guests.

At the end of the event, cleanup included clearing plates and drinks to the zero waste station. Zero waste is a new initiative at BGO to recycle, reuse and repurpose all waste generated at events to reduce the amount of trash going to landfills.

"Working at Chefs in the Garden provides students with the opportunity to see how a large organization plans and executes a significant fundraising event," said Dede Hamm, hospitality instructor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences. "In addition, students were able to work with area hospitality professionals. Because BGO relies on volunteers to run events and normal operations, by sharing their time and knowledge, our students were able to help the organization raise funds to aid in future growth endeavors."

The students also enjoyed dishes prepared by the chefs. They gained professional experience and successfully met a program requirement by participating in an industry-related event. They worked the Chefs in the Garden fundraiser as part of Hamm's Meetings and Events course.  

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.