RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ROBERT STILES ’80 ENDOWS SCHOLARSHIP FOR JWU STUDENTS ROBERT STILES completed his associate degree
in Culinary Arts in 1980 and has progressed over the past 37 years to become managing director and principal of RobertDouglas Hotel Capital Advisors in California. He recently became reacquainted with his alma mater and recalls that JWU, unlike a large liberal arts college, forced him to focus on what he actually wanted to do with his life. The career orientation of his fellow undergraduates on Robert Stiles ’80 the Providence Campus motivated him to concentrate on how he should use his considerable intelligence (he graduated at the pinnacle of the program). He found himself fascinated with how hotels are built, and his career has taken him to Asia and beyond. A model of entrepreneurship, Stiles is committed to the idea of personal investment in business development. His experience here and beyond made it possible for him to consider a JWU scholarship that will be funded at $100,000 and available across the campuses, schools and majors. Who knows how the spirit of JWU will inspire another undergraduate to parlay a degree into a successful career? We are grateful to Stiles for bringing his fascinating story home to JWU with an inspirational gift to future students. ~ Michael Eatough
ACF FOOD SUSTAINABILITY COMPETITION UNDERWRITTEN BY THE SMITHFIELD FOUNDATION ON A SATURDAY IN OCTOBER, five JWU students and six guest
chefs from the university and larger culinary community participated in a sustainability competition hosted by the American Culinary Foundation. The event, held at the Providence Campus’ Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence, was underwritten with a $10,000 gift from the Smithfield Foundation. Because JWU’s culinary curriculum incorporates the use of local sustainable products, the competition was a fine opportunity for chefs and students to demonstrate their skills working with these ingredients, including Smithfield DuRoc Pork. They competed against a culinary standard for gold, silver and bronze medals. ~ Bonnie Duncan
The winners, L-R: Biao Hong ’17, gold; Jake Fristensky ’17, silver; Genoa Donaldson ’17, bronze; Devin Bogdan ’18, silver
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Winter 2017
A student server at one of Charlotte’s Epicurean Society events
CHARLOTTE CAMPUS EPICUREAN SCHOLARSHIP SOCIETY TO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS
I
t began as an opportunity for friends of the new campus of Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte to gather for dinner, conversation and a chance to hear from a culinary luminary who, with students, creates a meal and stands for a round of applause at the evening’s end. That was close to 10 years ago. In March, the Charlotte Campus celebrates a decade of the Epicurean Scholarship Society. Membership has grown as others have been invited to join the fun for a good cause: supporting the culinary arts and hospitality students who attend the JWU Charlotte Campus. Since the inaugural event in 2007, close to $1 million has been raised for scholarships and 144 students have been beneficiaries of members’ generosity. Society co-chairs Melissa and Mike McGuire have taken advantage of the opportunity to socialize and help students. “Melissa and I have been Epicurean Scholarship Society members from the beginning,” said Mike McGuire, CEO of Grant Thornton. “We love the events; the students’ creativity and commitment to excellence is always amazing. More important, though, is the opportunity we have to help people achieve their dreams. That’s what drives us — seeing students fulfill their potential and use their talents to do great things with their careers and for other people. There’s nothing better than that!” In 2015 when Charlotte Campus President Robert C. Mock Jr., Ed.D., joined the university, he was pleased to find community support for students with the Epicurean Scholarship Society. He said, “I am so grateful to Charlotte’s community leaders for supporting our students through their membership in the society. Thanks to their generosity, the scholarship recipients have less student debt when they graduate and are able to focus on achieving their professional dreams.” ~ Darlena Goodwin