Yavapai College (YC), located in Prescott, Arizona, hosts a fall and spring convocation to celebrate the start of the new semester for their faculty and staff. This year for the spring convocation, the HHS culinary team at YC had the honor of planning and executing the event at the Prescott and Verde Valley Campuses, which had almost 400 attendees combined.
HHS Culinary Director Maggie Devine and her team hit the ground running to ensure the event was beautifully planned—from the menu, decorations, and hospitable service. Chef Erik Stieber created an Italian-themed menu that featured charcuterie boards, roasted vegetables, a seafood bar, classic Italian dishes, including creamy chicken mushroom florentine, alfredo penne pasta, rotini, eggplant parmesan, and more.
Maggie and Assistant Director Amanda Amos connected with area vendors to create a grand entrance for the guests. The dining hall entry showcased a fresh flower wall and hand-carved ice sculpture that featured the YC logo and mascot, Ruff.
"HHS went above and beyond to make our employee spring celebration luncheon so classy. The food was excellent with a wide variety, and they surprised us with fresh flower displays and an ice sculpture! Thanks for making this event special for both of our campuses,” compliments Lisa Schlagel, Corporate Liaison at Yavapai College.
With most of the staff on winter break, the team didn’t miss a beat. Maggie shares, “it was a really good bonding experience for my managers. Everyone had such a great time. Ever since we put [the convocation] on, we’ve gotten nothing but positive reviews from the campus and the faculty and staff. It was a great start to a new semester.”
“I want to thank HHS for letting us go big with this idea,” reflects Maggie.