Honor Scholars Project

How wonderful it was to work with an Honors Scholar Student, Banessa Espinal-Cruz on this City Tech Wines tech sheet.

Description of Honors Scholars Project, HMGT 2402

Students in the Wines of the New World course participate in a service project in which they learn about and make wine to be served in the Janet Lefler Dining Room, creating an opportunity for shared experiences between student across the department. To better prepare students in the Dining Room Operation Course to learn about the wine they will serve, learning materials were developed and shared with Dining Room Operation students. The purpose of the learning material is to assist students new to beverage service on the significance of the wine they present to guests. Specifically, the region the grapes are grown and the taste profile of the wine, while also emphasizing the student’s role in creating the wine for the college. The development of these materials will be designed to enhance the quality of service and expectations of students in the Dining Room Operation course.

Student Personal Reflection of Honors Scholars Project

At the beginning of this project, my level of knowledge of wine production and wine blending was minimal. As the project progressed, I was able to learn the details of wine making and how to communicate what I know. For example, I learned the terminology associated with wine regions, grapes, age, color, vinification, and how to describe wine. When I reflect upon this piece I see a challenge, one that I was able to face and learn from.  When I started I also did not know about the organizations that are part of the project or how they support and interact with their community. I appreciate that they value education.

Blending Community, Philanthropy and Education in the News

As the Co-principle Investigator of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts Grant with Lynda Dias, since 2012 we have been awarded $7000 annually ($5000 in 2012) to create learning opportunities that include place-based learning at an urban winery. This grant impacts between 130 to 170 students annually. It is estimated that 70% of the 2017 graduates were impacted by this grant funding.
The reach of this project has extended out of City Tech. The Bridge, whose “focus is on the breakthrough companies, entrepreneurs and trends that have made Brooklyn a worldwide brand and a growing economic center” has over 2000 twitter followers and 1500 Instagram followers. In 2017 they published an article about innovative teaching practices and included this project. The New York Daily News showcased the student wine making project in their 2016 college showcase edition.

About the assignment, in the Wines of the New World class we apply proven high-impact educational practices whereby students actively participate in the wine making process. They have the opportunity to punch down the cap, taste recently harvested grapes, evaluate stems and seeds for ripeness, taste active fermenters and barrel samples as well. Students then create two proprietary blends, both a red and white wine. The collaborative learning project we call “Blending Community, Philanthropy, and Education” impacts the learning of student in the department’s dining room operation course as well. The dining room students learn about and served the wines in the college’s Janet Lefler Dining Room.

o 2016: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-f16/
o 2015: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-f15/category/team-two/
o 2014: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-14/
o 2013: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-13/
o 2012: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/wines-of-the-new-world/

Experiential Learning, Walt Disney World College Program

Here is a video explaining, in brief, the Experiential Learning Course offered by Disney. Watching it might provide a little insight into the experience of some of our students. I recommend this course to students interested in culinary, housekeeping and those considering HR as a career. The course helps them explore how they learn and, in turn, how they can best teach others. Students have found great success in this course.

Another bonus of watching this video is that you get to see one of our very own, Nicole Schloss, at about 47 seconds into the video. Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions:  https://disneyprogramsblog.com/experiential_learning_course/