January 11, 2013

Students become entrepreneurs and bankers. "Would you invest in these ventures?"


Andrew (left) and Ali (right) explain the details of the property
they researched for their Bollywood Lounge. 
Cassindra and Larry's marketing
material for their food truck.
Some were dressed to impress, buttoned up, tucked in and ready for business. Others nervously reviewed their Power Point programs, or prepared sample foods to bring their presentations alive. It was the final hurrah for Advanced students, revealing the projects that had consumed much of their time of late. At the same time they were refining, exploring, and putting personal touches on their creative efforts in the kitchen, they were also developing business ventures: fleshing out concepts for a food business, from menus and target markets all the way through to location and design.

Kathy (left) and Siavash (centre) dressed for success.
Their mission this past week – the last before their graduation - was to convince their fellow students that they had done their homework. While project partners walked everyone through their lofty goals, questing for investment capital, the rest of the class played banker, asked questions, and tried to decide whether the business would be a reasonable risk.

While it may be some time before these new grads can think about starting their own café, bistro or food truck, the lessons learned here- from missed details, oversights, or brilliant innovations - provide a solid foundation that will stay with them throughout their careers.
Chef Dean checked out Ali & Andrew's online
marketing while their presentation was still in progress.