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Student Catering During the Olympics

Chef Greg Forte has been a Chef-Educator for more than 25 years.  Currently he is the Dean of Hospitality Management at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.  Having worked in higher education in Florida, Utah, and Alaska, he has made it one of his long term goals to be involved in quality culinary education.

While director of the Culinary Arts Institute at Utah Valley University, Chef Forte integrated catering into its curriculum by having the educational needs of the students drive the catering program.  Annual catering sales totaled approximately $500,000 as they serviced events ranging from 25 to 3,000. 

During the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the program transformed itself into an exclusive caterer—servicing the onsite needs of a private lodge at Deer Valley.  This event alone generated many student scholarships along with job offers for the program graduates.

Chef Forte will share his experiences with attendees at the First-Ever CAFÉ Catering Operations Workshop to be held October 21-23, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted by Sullivan University.  He will discuss start-up challenges, operations, and measuring outcomes.

You’ll learn a lot!  The registration fee has stayed at $374 which includes all educational materials, a reception, two breakfasts, two lunches, a chef’s jacket, tool kit and ACF continuing education hours.

For on-line registration, please go to http://www.cafemeetingplace.com/2011-events/catering-operations.html   Hotel rates are good until October 7th.  The program begins on Friday afternoon and is over by 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.