Durham College serves up unique student learning opportunities at Harvest Dinner

Community members will once again enjoy an evening under the stars as Durham College (DC) hosts the seventh Harvest Dinner at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (Weston Centre) on Thursday, September 21.

This signature event is a unique opportunity for students and employees in the Faculty of Hospitality & Horticultural Science and Weston Centre to come together to create an unforgettable dining experience.

With a special focus on student engagement, the Harvest Dinner’s hands-on opportunities allow students from DC’s horticulture, culinary, event management, hospitality and tourism programs to be active participants in their learning, under the guidance of Andrew Guay, Weston Centre field supervisor and Bistro ‘67’s executive chef, Raul Sojo.

To prepare, Horticulture – Food and Farming and Horticulture Technician students have tended to and harvested the fields where many components of the meal were grown and will be brought to life by Culinary Management and Culinary Skills students in the Bistro ’67 kitchen and Weston Centre labs and classrooms. On the day of the event, students will set up the impressive harvest table – fit to accommodate more than 100 guests and spanning the length of the garden path – as part of the experiential learning component of the Special Events Management program, before joining fellow Hospitality – Hotel and Restaurant Operations, Hospitality Skills and Tourism – Destination Marketing students to provide exceptional service and execution of the event.

“Harvest Dinner is the result of countless hours of creativity, collaboration and teamwork across all fronts and one of our most anticipated events of the year,” said Patrick Lernihan, general manager, W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. “The event offers so many benefits to our students, who get to be involved in the process from start to finish, and our community members, who continue to support the college and celebrate the Weston Centre’s passion for innovation.”

Upon arrival, guests will enjoy pre-dinner drinks, including Lords Ale, brewed by All or Nothing Brewhouse, and samples of a new IPA brewed on-site in the college’s Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation (CCBI). They will also have the chance to tour the Weston Centre’s Urban Farm gardens before gathering under strings of lights for the seasonally-inspired, multi-course meal.

Don’t miss your chance to attend Harvest Dinner 2023! Limited tickets are still available. Visit Eventbrite for details.