Annual Networking Event

Annual Community and Business Partner Cocktail Party

Annual Community and Business Partner Cocktail Party

Kingsborough Holds Annual Networking Event--but This One’s a Test

Like most after-work networking events, Kingsborough Community College’s recent Community and Business Partner Cocktail Party included local business and community leaders exchanging numbers and growing their contact lists as they nosh on pre-dinner refreshments.
 
But the 18 Kingsborough Culinary Arts students in attendance at the recent after-work networking event on their campus weren’t there to eat spanakopita and cured salmon canapes—they were there to make them. The Dec. 4 cocktail party, with more than 30 attendees from South Brooklyn businesses and nonprofits such as the Brooklyn Cyclones, Green Street Capital and TraNa Relief Association, was also the Event Catering and Food Production class’s practical exam.
 
“I was very excited but I also was very nervous because it's not just the practical—since we were doing it for the party and we were doing it for other people that were really important, we had to make sure that not only was the food good to eat, but also, it had to look pretty because we can only give people the best of what we have,” said Gesmaily Mejia, a senior in Kingsborough’s Culinary Arts program.
 
The menu, conceived of by adjunct faculty member Chef Michael DiGiovanni, consisted of eight hors d’oeuvres and a dessert, which the students practiced making during the semester, said Chef Anthony Marzuillo, the program's director. “They practice each item on the menu, they prep the week before and then they come in the day of the event and execute the event.”
 
Meija prepared some of the evening’s menu and served it too, which meant she was one of the first to know if the food was getting a passing grade from the guests. 
 
“It was nerve-wracking because I was so scared of what they were going to say," she said. "Like, what if they don't like it?”
 
Mejia needn’t have worried.
 
“I feel like they were very pleased,” she said. “I feel like they were looking for more. One gentleman asked me when the next [event] would be and I just thought, ‘I just want to get through this one first!’”
 
According to Marzuillo, the students did more than get through the evening.
“They did everything from start to finish—the front of the house and the back of the house,” he said.
 
This is the second year the culinary students’ catering course culminated in a public event, held in partnership with the Kingsborough’s Division of Workforce Development and Continuing Education and the Office of 47th District Assemblyman Michael Novakhov.
 
Prior to that, “it was just a theoretical class,” Marzuillo said. “They had to write a menu, cost the menu and do the business end of catering, but now they’re actually doing the hands-on work.”
 
That’s thanks to Anna Geller, the Division’s director of strategic partnerships who was looking for creative ways to engage the business community, while also providing Kingsborough students with a more experiential education.
 
“We have a beautiful campus and amazing space,” she said. “All that was missing was good food and a memorable experience.”
 
The event was moved to the end of the semester to align with the students’ practical exam and a new tradition was born.
 
“Events like this remind us how powerful it is when local businesses come together with educational institutions and elected leaders to support one another,” Assemblyman Novakhov said. “Collaboration is the key to building a resilient and prosperous community.”
 
During the evening, representatives from Kingsborough highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between education and local commerce, noting that partnerships with neighborhood businesses create opportunities for students, residents and employers alike.
 
“The event underscored a shared vision,” said Vice President of Workforce Development and Continuing Education Dr. Simone Rodriguez, “that by working together—schools, businesses, and government—we can create a stronger foundation for economic development and a brighter future for the community.”
 
For Mejia, who lives in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn and has dreams of becoming a chef in her own restaurant one day, the cocktail party was also a confidence booster.
 
 “It was really eye opening for me, because you know, when cooking for others, it’s not just about you being happy with the food, you’re making sure that they're happy,” she said. “I feel like I just hit one of my many milestones; it felt great doing it and I want to do more.”

Assemblyman Michael Novakhov stands with Kingsborough Culinary Arts students at the recent Business and Community Cocktail Party at Kingsborough Community College. 

Kingsborough Holds Annual Networking Event--but This One’s a Test

Kingsborough Culinary Arts students provided front- and back-of-the-house service during the Kingsborough Community and Business Partner Cocktail Party that also served as their final practical exam.  

Kingsborough Holds Annual Networking Event--but This One’s a Test

Students prepare to serve one of eight types of hors d'oeuvres during the event. 

Kingsborough Holds Annual Networking Event--but This One’s a Test

More than 30 South Brooklyn business and community leaders attended the event, organized by Kingsborough's Division of Workforce Development and Continuing Education and the Office of Assemblyman Michael Novakhov.

Kingsborough Holds Annual Networking Event--but This One’s a Test

 

 

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