Art isn’t limited to drawing, painting, or even playing an instrument; art is the act of taking a passion and perfecting it. In this case, art is food. Culinary students and aspiring chefs, Ashley Hwang, Justin DeVos, and Dallen Slade desire to master this art form through exposure with the help of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP).

The C-CAP Program held the second annual Harvest Moon Dinner on Oct 27. The Dinner was held at Hope Springs Organic Farms within the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Angela Stutz, Advanced Culinary Arts Instructor and teacher, states, “these were people attending the event who were investing in these students. They were buying the $100 ticket to attend and bidding on mystery baskets…so I really wanted them to have a polished professional experience coming up to [the student’s] table.”

The event featured the creations of culinary students across Arizona, as they showcased both their cooking and plating skills to interested attendees. Dallen Slade, a junior culinary student who participated in the event states, “when we went…we set up our own little place, lined up against other chefs that were there and other students from other schools. We got to serve desserts to a ton of people there.”

The annual event aims to provide students with college financial aid towards culinary oriented careers using the proceeds earned. Justin DeVos, a junior who also participated in the event expressed, “I want to be a chef…I want to go and work in an Italian restaurant.” Stutz also added, “I just believe they all want to be in that industry…from taking my class I think they got some exposure…not like they always wanted to be a chef.”

Ashley Hwang, a senior and participant, gave her thoughts on the event: “It was fun and it was a good experience…but we had the desserts and so a lot of people didn’t want to come to us, they went for more appetizers and big dishes…but if I had the chance I would do it again.”