CREDIT: KERRA SEAY
Leona Balsdon, a volunteer at The Sharing Shop and also a Fanshawe student in the child and youth care program, holds the donated $1,000 cheque with excitement

A building was transformed into a walk along New York streets Nov. 24 for the second annual culinary food event, only this year they partnered with the food and beverage program.

The culinary management students picked a theme, created a menu and began the process of creating a unique-to-New York food experience for spectators.

“Tonight there [were] 10 different booths giving out 10 different flavours of food, all from a theme found in New York City,” said chef Wade Fitzgerald, an instructor in the advanced culinary program at Fanshawe.

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

The themes were Borough Park, Frank Sinatra, food trucks decked out with everything from tires to a muffler, welcome to Manhattan, Little Egypt, Broadway, Queens, Chinatown, Central Perk representing more of a Friends theme and Upper East Side lunch at the Waldorf Astoria.

When walking from booth to booth, it truly felt like you were walking into a new part of New York City; the food mirrored the theme, the costumes represented what you would see in that area and the students all had endless knowledge on the theme they were embodying.

Each guest that Interrobang talked to agreed this was indeed a night to remember.

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

To make the night more memorable, the students decided to give back to the community by choosing a charity to donate all the proceeds to, in this case $1,000 plus some of the money raised in the silent auction. According to Fitzgerald, the auction brought in somewhere between $600 and $700.

“There were a few charities in the running but the students chose the Sharing Shop,” Fitzgerald said. “The students felt like that [the Sharing Shop] was where the need should be…this one was for the students by the students.”

Representing both the Sharing Shop and the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU), Jayme Dodge, the VP External and Academic Affairs, and Leona Balsdon, a volunteer at the Sharing Shop and also a Fanshawe student in the child and youth care program, were in attendance to claim the $1,000 cheque.

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

“I think it is really great that we were selected to receive some extra donations. Students don't always have the money to buy food or buy those toiletries,” Dodge said. “When we get the money, the shelves are going to be restocked and it's going to keep it stocked for a while especially over Christmas and to the new year.”

Balsdon echoed Dodge's sentiments, but spoke of the surplus of students that have been coming in to use the services over the past semester.

“There have been 100 to 200 students a month that end up coming to the Sharing Shop so the money will definitively be of use,” Balsdon said.

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

The cheque was just one of the highs of the night as the culinary students were also in a competition themselves. When guests entered the event, they were given a ballot to nominate whatever two booths they enjoyed best and the two with the most votes would win a gift card.

Fitzgerald made his way to the front of the room, with a hush falling over the students as they eagerly awaited the results he held in his hand.

Though the first place team had a clear win, the second place team was in a close battle with three other teams, Fitzgerald said to the crowd.

“In second place we have Frank Sinatra and in first we have come dine at the Waldorf.”

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

The two teams erupted into cheers and were congratulated by the rest of the students, all of whom were not sour regarding the decision.

“I am just so happy,” said Caitlyn Beretta one of the members of the winning team. “I was so anxious, but we worked really hard and I am proud of our team.”

“We put a lot of work into it so we hoped, we hoped that all of our hard work would pay off,” said Brianne Coomey another member of the winning team.

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID

In second place, Amy Balfour had just one thing to say regarding their impressive placement after a full day of hard work.

“Fedoras off, we did awesome.”

According to Fitzgerald, the night could not have gone better.

“Three goals were in my mind when doing this class: one, learning the basics of a food budget and [how to] manage an event properly, two, student success and involvement and three having a positive experience for everyone involved,” Fitzgerald said. “I believe we met all three.”

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUDY DAVID