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Austin Culinary Students Work With Professional Chefs at AustiNite Culinary Event

Austin culinary students recently participated in AustiNite, a private event organized by C3 Presents, the event planning company responsible for the Austin City Limits Festival. For the past two years, C3 has worked with culinary students from The Art Institute of Austin, a branch of The Art Institute of Houston, at the Austin Food & Wine Festival. The school was excited to have nine students participate in the AustiNite event.

“When [C3 has] chef-driven events, they call us to assist,” says Julie Busch, faculty member, Baking & Pastry, The Art Institute of Austin. She adds that working at these types of events gives current students the opportunity to see different working styles—and taste the food of regionally-popular chefs. “It also allows students to start building their culinary network.”

At AustiNite, the culinary students were matched with professional chefs. Working alongside these seasoned professionals directly supported the foundations of their culinary education, including organization, having a clean work station, giving clear verbal directions, and creating an eye-pleasing final presentation. According to Busch, the experience let the students see the interactions between chefs and the public. “[These] chefs are interacting with guests, promoting themselves and their dishes. Hiding in a kitchen is not an option for success.”

The Art Institute of Austin culinary students who participated in AustiNite are:

• Cassandra Washington Johnson and Wayne Knight – both pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts.
• Jorge Hernandez, Patrick Willis, Ruben Vasquez  - all pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management.
• Nathan Gutierrez, Amber Salazar, Cynthia Hernandez, Cassie Lancaster, Ashley Hicks – all pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Baking & Pastry.