Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

News

Students take reins at event

Annual Gourmet Night gives hotel and restaurant management students some hands-on experience 

by MAYRA CRUZ
The Daily Cougar

While more than 360 alumni, parents and recruiters enjoy their classy evening at the 32nd annual Gourmet Night at the University Hilton, the students running the show will be learning a lesson or two outside the classroom.

An estimated 300 hotel and restaurant management student volunteers will be handling the details of this year's Alice in Wonderland-themed evening, which takes place Saturday.

"It's pretty much like a behind-the-scenes job that you never see or know it exists," junior Rebecca Godlove, a student associate director of procurement for the event, said.

In order to get involved with the managerial aspect of Gourmet Night, students first volunteer for a position in April of the year before the Gourmet Night they wish to work. In the following spring semester, students who are chosen to take on the jobs take a Gourmet Night management class and oversee the entire event from planning to execution.

"It's a wealth of knowledge and experience that you get from this (event). It's very hard to replicate that," sophomore Jim Curtis, an associate director of the kitchen, said. 

The event goes through a lengthy preparation phase before implementation and encompasses aspects from marketing to menu creation to valet parking.

Though event planning can be stressful, the students managing Gourmet Night this year said it has taught them invaluable experience in organization and time management.

"It's a matter of, ‘This has to be accomplished, figure out a way to accomplish it.' It's not like in a class where you can say, ‘Oh well, I'll just turn it in half complete and take the hit in my grade.' You have to do it," junior Nathan Jarvis, who is serving as student director of procurement this year, said.

Many of the students involved have had previous Gourmet Night experience, and the love of the job keeps them coming back, Curtis said.

"Because we love the event, we think it's a great idea, we like the experience and we get excited by it and so, we just want to get involved," he said.

Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu