Students turn culinary skills into scholarship support and career connections 

Andrea Dulac watched proudly as her culinary students plated brisket burnt-end tacos topped with mango-avocado pico de gallo, fried huli huli cauliflower, and house-made desserts for hundreds of guests attending the ProStart in Paradise fundraiser at Gun Lake Casino.

“All of Allegan students made the menu, cooked the menu, and then served the menu,” says Dulac, culinary arts instructor at the Allegan Tech Center. “It was pretty cool to see them at that level.”

The event raised money for scholarships and hospitality education programs across Michigan while giving Allegan County students an opportunity to showcase their culinary creativity in front of restaurant leaders, hospitality professionals, and potential employers.

Students from the Allegan Tech Center and Hastings High School prepared and served dishes for about 200 guests attending this spring’s fundraiser, which supports the ProStart program, a national curriculum focused on restaurant management and culinary arts.

Amanda Smith, executive director of the Michigan Hospitality Foundation, says the event helps students build industry connections while supporting future educational opportunities.

“Career and tech education lets kids get their hands in there and do it,” Smith says.

Displaying student skills

The menu featured Hawaiian-inspired dishes, including brisket burnt-end tacos, marinated chicken, spam musubi, huli huli cauliflower, and pulled pork topped with marinated pineapple. Students also prepared desserts, including a chocolate coconut tart and a pineapple upside-down cake.

Smith says students impressed guests by building layered flavor profiles and refining recipes through experimentation.

“They just really built great flavors,” Smith says.

Dulac says the event gave students a closer look at what working in hospitality involves.

“At the tech center, we really are focusing on industry, getting them ready for industry,” Dulac says. “Events like this are kind of crucial to let them see what industry actually is like.”

Students learned food preparation and menu planning along with customer interaction, public speaking, and professionalism.

“It was really important for them to get out in front of people, talk about their dish, and kind of face those nerves,” Dulac says.

The students also connected directly with employers and industry leaders.

“We got so many compliments, so many people there gave business cards and stuff like that,” Dulac says. “I was a very proud person there.”

Lam Vongsakoun, vice president of hospitality at Gun Lake Casino, says students impressed hospitality leaders with their professionalism and ability to adapt.

“Their ability to immediately jump into the space and act like they’ve been working here for ages speaks volumes about their dedication to the business,” Vongsakoun says. “They conducted themselves professionally, especially in front of guests. They demonstrated great teamwork and resilience when things did not go as planned. They maintained composure and adapted very well to ensure tasks were completed and guests were not negatively impacted.”

A taste of the profession

Smith says hospitality professionals and human resources representatives attended the fundraiser to observe the students’ professionalism, food safety practices, and teamwork.

“They wanted to see what the students were putting out, and not just what the food is, but their safety and their sanitation,” Smith says.

Dulac says her years working in the hospitality industry influence how she prepares students for careers. Before leading the Allegan culinary program, she worked in restaurants in Seattle and Washington, helped open restaurants in Detroit, operated a food truck, and developed food training programs for Amway.

“Food would allow me the opportunity to travel and do really amazing things and always have a job,” Dulac says.

That experience helps her teach students cooking techniques along with the business and operational sides of hospitality careers.

“We really talk about all the different aspects of the food industry,” Dulac says. “What is the waste on this? What is this going to cost us?”

The Allegan program emphasizes scratch cooking, world cuisine, and industry certifications while helping students develop management and leadership skills. Students also compete statewide through the ProStart program. This year, Allegan students placed fourth in pasta, third in knife skills, and fifth in the ServSafe knowledge bowl during the state ProStart competition.

Vongsakoun says the quality of the students’ work reflects the strength of the training they receive through the Allegan Area Educational Service Agency hospitality and culinary program.

“It’s highly evident that the training being conducted by the Allegan Area ESA team has created a very engaged group of kids,” Vongsakoun says. “The approach the educators have taken seems to resonate very well with many of the students, and their energy toward the industry shows in the instruction they are receiving.”

He says the enthusiasm of both students and educators was evident throughout the event.

“It’s clear that the instructors are engaged and love what they are doing,” Vongsakoun says.

The program also is expanding educational opportunities for students interested in culinary careers. Dulac says students soon will be able to earn direct college credit through Lake Michigan College’s culinary program.

“There’s lots of opportunities,” Dulac says.

While several students are planning to pursue culinary degrees, others are moving directly into industry jobs.  Vongsakoun says several students expressed interest in working at Gun Lake Casino, and some current casino employees previously participated in the Allegan program and internships offered through the casino.

One graduating student recently landed an interview with Gun Lake Casino after meeting hospitality leaders during the event.

“They remembered him from the event we just did,” Dulac says.

Building relationships

Smith says technology and artificial intelligence are changing many industries, but hospitality still depends heavily on human connection.

“We’re an industry of people, and how you make people feel isn’t going to change by a robot,” Smith says.

The Michigan Hospitality Foundation works alongside the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association to connect students with employers and industry mentors. Smith says those relationships are especially valuable in smaller communities where local businesses depend on homegrown talent.

“I think the Allegan Tech Center is just a gem,” Smith says. “It’s a very special thing to have in a small community.”

Photos courtesy of Andrea Dulac