VU Polytechnic’s October 2019 Charity Dinner brought together our hospitality, cookery and events students to work under the guidance of Chef Andrew Braham, Head Chef at State of Grace, in an effort to raise money for the Sons and Daughters of the West, run by the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation. A total of $5,000 was raised for the foundation through the Charity Dinner and silent auction.
Students worked with Chef Andrew on a six-course degustation to cater for 108 guests held at VenU Restaurant at Victoria University’s Footscray Nicholson Campus. The students began preparation for the event 24 hours prior, with our cookery students assisting with the construction of ingredients as part of the intricate meals curated by Andrew, while the events students worked on the arrangement of crockery and beverages for the night ahead.
The evening commenced with students introducing each course and the accompanying wine to the audience, outlining the different elements of the meal and the variety of fresh produce used. Meals prepared by the students included cured hiramasa kingfish with blood orange vinaigrette, chicken terrine with pear and fennel and a roast St Bernard’s pork belly with salad onion and jerez jus.
A silent auction was held to contribute to the donations to Sons and Daughters of the West. The auction items available included a signed jersey by the Western Bulldogs team, a three-course meal to State of Grace, vouchers to VenU and gold class tickets to the Sun Theatre.
VU Polytechnic’s October 2019 Charity Dinner aims to support Sons and Daughters of the West in their efforts to deliver a 10-week program to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of men and women living, working or recreating in the Bulldogs’ heartland. Alyssa Huxtable, Program Manager from the Western Bulldogs Foundation acknowledged the purpose of Sons and Daughters of the West:
“The biggest thing is the social connection, getting to know the people and the area, in order to give them a program that brings everyone together. We would like to thank Victoria University who provides us with the students and research, as well as the support services.”
The hospitality and cookery students worked under the supervision of Danette Haas and Fiona Lie to produce outstanding and sophisticated meals and the events students displayed great work ethic under the observation of Tanya Thomas to deliver a successful night.
VU Polytechnic would like to thank the attendees, guests, suppliers and Chef Andrew Braham for their generosity and support with the October 2019 Charity Dinner.