Johnson & Wales Students Cook For The Stars

During the Sundance Film Festival, Jennifer Aniston was promoting her new movie, Metallica was performing a concert, and Sting was checking out some independent films ... and they all had to eat. Enter ChefDance, an invitation-only series of luxurious four-course dinners for the VIP attendees of the festival, held at the legendary Harry O's on Park City's Main Street. Tyler Florence hosted each night's guest chef (including Todd English, Gale Gand and Ming Tsai), and eight students from his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University, were on hand to assist in the kitchen.

Kevin Chan, a sophomore at the Charlotte Campus, said, "Throw together eight strangers and make them work together in a kitchen, sounds like a reality show to me!" The schedule was fairly grueling; the students worked every day from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next morning, preparing food for 200-250 people each night. But Chan described the week as "one of the best experiences I've had thus far in my life. I had a great time learning from the top chefs in America and working along side them to serve the rich and famous! These chefs created the most amazing menus I've seen yet and put out some of the most beautiful plates. Some of my favorite dishes included: Chef Govind Armstrong's Krispy Creme bread pudding with coffee cream; Chef Tim Scott's venison dishes; and Chef Tom Douglass' triple coconut cream pie."

Johnson & Wales - America's Career University. - was founded in 1914. It is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, education, hospitality and technology. Preparing students for successful careers is the cornerstone of the University's educational philosophy. A benchmark of the University has been its 28 consecutive year employment record - within 60 days of graduation, 98 percent of its students from the 50 states have jobs in their chosen career field. With an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, Johnson & Wales maintains campuses in Providence, R.I., Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C. For more information about Johnson & Wales University, visit www.jwu.edu.