HB in NYC

Hello!

Well The School and its students definitely had a wonderful time in the Big Apple! Here are some photos of the trip to show you all the fun and information we gathered along the way!

A few of us spent Friday walking around NYC exploring. Before jumping on the Staten Island Ferry to view the Statue of Liberty, we grabbed pretzels in Battery Park!

During our annual tour of the Waldorf=Astoria, we were able to see the pastry chefs in action!

This year we also toured the Marriott Marquis in Time Square. Their elevators were quite futuristic!

On Sunday we visited the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show. Check out the awesome fruit carvings!

On Sunday evening, we carried out another School tradition and took limos to Little Italy for dinner!

We had our traditional dinner at La Mela but this year 52 people came! It was a great time as always!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and good luck to everyone in the last few weeks of this semester!

Peace & Hospitality,

Lauren

Whats Up With That?

Hey all,

So this semester is gonna be intense. I have crazy amounts of homework already.

That’s what you get for going to Antarctica, Lauren. I, on the other hand, have only three credits this semester because I leave for Germany in March.

Aaah! I am so excited for you! Are you nervous? How long are you gone on the study abroad?

My program is three and a half months. I’m a little nervous but more excited than anything. Motherland, here I come! Also, eat the chips and salsa I brought for you.

Stop pressuring me to eat chips and salsa. I’m full! You’re gonna have such a great time and make all sorts of cool deutsch amigos.

Lauren, you are very weird.

Thank you. Anyhoo, what are your plans until you leave?

Well, naturally, I’ll be working on The School’s PR and finishing up my second level internship at the Henry Center. I’m also doing an independent study focusing on German society during the reunification. Eat a ship.

No thank you, I don’t particularly like the taste of ships.

Shut up, you know I meant “chip.” So what’s your plan for the semester?

Well, I just started a new job as a SIRCie in the Student and Industry Resource Center which I am really excited about. I get to help students with  finding internships and help organize open houses for companies interested in recruiting our students. So far I really love it! I’ve got two communication classes this semester, one on campaign analysis which should be really cool. I’ve got two HB classes as well. One is advanced marketing where we have some big creative projects and the other is advanced food and bev where we get to plan an event! Its gonna be busy but I love that we have classes that give us hands on experience even if it is a lot of work.

That’s so true! The School definitely has a lot to offer students.  Are you getting pumped for the up-and-coming school events?  Vegas Night, what!?!  Wanna hit up the roulette tables with me?

I am so down for that! I only have about 50 cents though…so you put down all the dough and we’ll split the winnings like 49/51. That’s cool, right?

Yeah, totally. My 27 cents will make a great contribution to our pot.

Excellent. Seriously though, I really enjoyed playing bingo at Vegas Night last year. Bingo is awesome. I am so gonna be a regular bingo player when I grow up to be a cat/dog lady.

Hmm…I always pictured you as more of a gerbil type person.

To be fair, thats probably right about the level of responsibility I can handle. Anyhoo, Jazz Auction is on February 6th and Les Goumets is on March 27th. Spring semester is full of exciting events for The School. Have you seen the marketing campaign for Les Gourmets? Andrew and the rest of the board have done an amazing job with the showcase and website. The theme is Beneath the Mediterranean Sun and everything they make as part of the theme has been so neat! They even gave out sun shaped cookies to the HB faculty and staff!

I agree they definitely have reason to be proud of their work! Question: Are there any of these cookies left for hungry PR Coordinators?

Hmmm..excellent query, Kelsey. Let’s call Andrew.

Andrew: At Les Gourmets, we believe in the tremendous power of food: both its capacity to sustain the human condition as well as its ability to excite a variety of emotions and stir-up long-forgotten memories.  It is our hope that our fantastic event will be able to open people’s minds to new cultures and cuisines through great food and amazing hospitality.  In some of our marketing efforts, our team worked to extend that spirit of hospitality through simple gifts of fun food for faculty in need of something bright (catch that sweet pun?) in their day.  Since our PR coordinators are so clearly full of sunshine and incomparable beauty, we saw it as an insult to offer them mere cookies, when the pastries would be outshined by their transcending radiance.  Instead, we offer them something so much more special: our company.  We cordially invite our humble PR coordinators, as well as the rest of our university’s extraordinary students, to help make Les Gourmets 2010 the success that the Executive Board has envisioned.  For those students helping us on the day of the event, a variety of foods donated by local vendors will be provided to quell their appetites and to show our appreciation for their efforts.  Long story short: no cookies for you.

I don’t know what to say…success was not ours today, Kelsey, but we will prevail on March 27th!

All in good time, Lauren, all in good time.

Okay well, thats all for now folks. We’ve spent far too much time together and I want to ditch Kelsey now.

Don’t believe her; I’m basically her favorite person.

You’re probably in the top 200.

PEACE!

P.S. In case you didn’t catch it…we have “transcending radiance.” Just saying.

New Horizons!

Hello wonderful world!

I just wanted to stop by quickly to say that I’m so sorry for our lack of posting recently! It was a very busy end of the semester. Over the break, I went on a Study Abroad trip to Argentina and Antarctica! I’m very excited to tell you all about it. Kelsey and I will be posting agian soon; we have some interesting things to tell you about for this semester. As for now, I just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year! I hope it is a wonderful one packed with fun and fulfilled resolutions.

-Lauren

Here I am in Mikkelsen Harbor in Antarctica. The only thing bad about the trip = the furnished parka was not Spartan Green!

Your Mom Wants You to Volunteer.

Hello again faithful readers (to those of who aren’t so faithful, get your acts together!), today we embark on a noble quest to discover the secrets of life. Okay, but really, we asked our fellow HBer to tell you a little about getting involved in The School. I turn this television program…I mean radio program…I mean reading program over to Miss Emily Smith, Auctionaire Extraordinaire:

Emily Smith (far right) poses with Donation Directors after Les Gourmets 2009

Hi everyone, my name is Emily, and I am a senior at Michigan State and in my third year in The School of Hospitality Business. I came to Michigan State as a freshman planning to be a human biology major in preparation for medical school. By the end my first semester, it became more and more clear to me that I was in the wrong major. While vacationing at a beautiful resort in Northern Michigan, I found my passion in hotels and resorts. During second semester, I discovered The School of Hospitality Business, met with an advisor, and changed my major. Joining HB was one of the best decisions of my life! Starting off my first semester as a member of The School was not what I anticipated. The School’s students were all very close-knit, and as a new HB major, I felt like I didn’t know anyone. At some point during my process of switching to hospitality, I was told that becoming involved would help me meet people and build my resume. So I decided to attend our Hospitality Association’s Open House. At the HA Open House, the clubs and events within The School set up stations where students can sign up to join the clubs or volunteer or the events. I signed up for all four of the events that night: CAREER EXPO, Les Gourmets, Auction, and Vegas Night. Each HB event at which I volunteered provided me with a unique experience in hospitality. As a first-time server at Les Gourmets, I was able to get first-hand experience in the food and beverage segment of the industry. I was able to develop a personal connection with my guests, helping to create a memorable night for all.  By seeing all of the hard work that went into each event and through my own experiences volunteering, I was inspired me to take on a larger role. I ran for the executive boards for Auction and Les Gourmets. At the end of my sophomore year, I was selected to be the director of donations for Les Gourmets 2009 and the director of remote bidding for Auction 2009. At the end of my junior year, I applied to be the CEO for Auction 2010 and after a number of interviews, was chosen. Now, in my senior year, as CEO of Auction, I have gained experiences far beyond that which are present in the classroom.  Each year, Auction has a theme and I am particularly excited to be a part of this year’s Jazz Auction which will take place February 6, 2010 at the Kellogg center. Volunteers are always welcome! If you are interested, please email our Human Resources director Morgan Zahul at zahulmor@msu.edu. I can’t stress the importance of volunteering enough! Not only is it beneficial for your resume, it is personally rewarding as well!

Thank you, Emily! Kelsey says she’s def going to volunteer!

Have a very wonderful Thanksgiving everyone.  Get pumped for Turkey (or ToFurkey, if you’re Andrew Bromley)!

Over and Out,

Lauren

‘Cause Everyone’s Your Friend in New York City…

This past weekend, Miss Kelsey and I were lucky enough to travel to New York City with The School of Hospitality Business. Each year, The School takes about 50 students to NYC to stay at the Waldorf=Astoria, participate in professional development programs, network and attend the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show. Kelsey and I have each attended for three years and every time it is an amazing experience! So basically, I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about a few of my favorite things that we did this year both with The School and on our own time. Kelsey will be here later to tell you about her favorites…If I don’t steal her thunder that is.

Maggie, Kelsey, Jessica and by the famous clock in the Waldorf=Astoria Lobby before heading to Times Square

We arrived in the Big Apple in late morning on Friday and after checking our bags at the Waldorf, ventured into Times Square to find the TKTS booth and some lunch. In case you don’t know, the TKTS booth sells discounted Broadway tickets during the day for shows taking place later that night.  Kelsey and I, along with our friends and fellow HBers, Jessica and Maggie, wanted to find a cheap broadway show to see later. Along the way, we were stopped and solicited by a man selling tickets to the Broadway Comedy Club for later that night. Promising that we’d have reserved VIP seats and that the show was being taped for MTV, the dude offered to sell us discounted tickets. After Kelsey asked “Is this legit?” and noting that we are in fact pretty cool and therefore agreeing that we are in fact probably VIP (he clearly saw VIP written all over our confused faces as we wandered about Times Square), we took the guy up on his offer. This was probably a risky decision but nonetheless at 9:45pm we arrived at the Broadway Comedy Club decked out in our finest, ready to be treated like royalty only to find that every other totally normal person that made up the lengthy line forming was apparently also quite VIP. Once in, our VIP tables were actually 6 foot folding tables which we had to share with another party as we crammed into a basement room. Probably a credit to the good naturedeness of our true VIPness, we all took these minor let downs in stride and took a seat. Just 15 minutes later we were nearly falling out of our chairs laughing at the stand up comedians! 3 of the 7 were completely hilarious,  3 were pretty much not funny at all and/or totally creepy and one was a marginally funny dude. All in all, I had a blast! It was definitely worth the ten bucks and the five of us (our friend Stephanie joined us) really enjoyed ourselves. It was definitely one of my favorite experiences in New York and I’m not gonna lie, I feel pretty cool saying I’ve been to a Comedy Club in New York City.

Signing Presidential documents as I sit at President Eisenhower's desk in the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf=Astoria

My other favorite experience took place Saturday morning. After an informational presentation by the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel Manager and some break out sessions lead by recent MSU Hospitality grads, I and the other students got to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Waldorf. We got to see the ballroom, starlight room, president’s suite and kitchens. In the bakery, the pastry chef offered us some delicious pastries and in the main kitchen, the sous chef offered us some tasty appetizers! I’ve been on the same tour three times and each time, I learn something new and really interesting about the Waldorf’s rich history and impressive operations. I love hearing the funny and outlandish stories that Waldorf employees share about their experiences on the job and its great to get a better perspective on life in the industry.

Kelsey and I at La Mela in Little Italy

Those other two things were pretty awesome, but my all time favorite part of traveling to NYC is the Sunday night dinner that is a tradition every year for the HB students. As many of us as we can get to go, gather in the Waldorf lobby and travel to (this year in two limos!) to La Mela, a family owned Italian restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. 18 of us sat at a long table and ordered the 4 course family style meal complete with bread, caprese salad, rigatoni, tortellini, gnocci, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms, red peppers, veal, shrimp and chicken. With endless amounts of food, we were all quickly stuffed and had an awesome time hanging out, getting to know each other and celebrating a great weekend in New York City. Occasionally serenaded by La Mela employees, Luigi and Lorenzo, who played mean mandolins, we sang along, danced a little and toasted our last night in the big city. Shouting “AAAYYY!!!” with each new course, laughing loudly at our own jokes and yelling to friends at the opposite end of the table, I think we quickly became popular among the other guests at the restaurant. Afterwards, we ventured over to Ferrara’s, a famous Italian dessert shop, where we devoured some gellato and cannolis. The trip to La Mela each year is my favorite because I think it, to me, epitomizes hospitality. Hospitality is about meaningful experiences shared with friends and family, it’s about enjoying great food, music and dancing and its about appreciating the moment as you create memories that last for years to come. As cheesy as that may be, it is truly how I feel as I depart from New York, pockets a little poorer, experiences a little richer and memories a little more wonderful.

I’ll end with some lyrics from a song by They Might be Giants, called New York City. It pretty much sums up the trip for all of us who went.

“Everyone’s your friend in New York City/ and everything looks beautiful when you’re young and pretty/The streets are paved with diamonds and there’s just so much to see.”

A normal conversation between Kelsey & Lauren.

So – I saw Andrew Bromley (or Broms, as he’s known to some) at the HA open house on Wednesday – the kid wouldn’t stop giving me flyers to join Les Gourmets!  Seriously, I have at least 3 flyers!  Good thing I signed up to volunteer or I might have 5

Oh yeah, Kels, 3 whole flyers.  That’s sooooo many. While you were juggling all those sheets of paper, I was doing my civic duty of promoting CAREER EXPO. Did I tell you that over 100  students signed up? I’m pretty sure I got about umm…ninety…eight of them myself.

DUDE!  ninety….eight?  Are you sure they didn’t just sign up so they could stop talking to you?  OH SNAP!  Really though, that’s awesome!  The student turn-out was great this year – everyone seemed very eager to be involved.  I think that all the clubs and events got a lot of attention.

We met up with Andrew in front of the Les Gourmets booth.

I was glad so many people showed up because I got to chat with a bunch of friends whom I hadn’t seen all summer. It sounds like everybody got some valuable experiences out of their internships. Plus, we got to see Kaitlynn working her magic as CEO of the Hospitality Association and snagged some great pictures! By the way, don’t think I’m not mad about that little jibe about me scaring people away. That only happened once, Miss Kelsey Fedewa!  But seriously, I really enjoy recruiting freshmen volunteers.

I’m sorry, Lauren.  Can we still be friends?  Out of curiosity, did you get the chance to visit any of the other clubs and events while you were there?  I heard that CMAA (Club Managers Association of America) was giving away t-shirts and I know there was a lot of candy being distributed by Auction and SIRC.

Yeah dude, I got some poprocks from the Auction booth! I haven’t had those in ages…and did you know you can get poprocks on your ice cream at Coldstone? Crazy! But anyway, I unfortunately did not win a t-shirt as I was unable to successfully putt a golfball into a small hole about 3 feet away from me. Did you sign up for any other events or clubs?

Oh, don’t feel bad!  Golfing is hard and Put-Put even harder!  At least you tried!  Yes, I did sign up for some clubs and events such as Les Gourmets (which I mentioned earlier), Auction, and CAREER EXPO.  I also stopped by the PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) booth.  I joined that club last year and am excited to be even more involved this year.  I love that there are so many different opportunities to be involved – definitely something for everyone.  So are you getting ready for the big game tomorrow?

Yes! I’m super excited because my parents are driving up from Ohio to go to the game. As Ohioans, we’re counting on MSU trouncing our archrival from Ann Arbor. I haven’t been able to go home and see them since August so I can’t wait ’til they arrive! Well, I have to get going, so I’ll talk to you later…GO GREEN!

GO WHITE!

In addition to being CEO of HA, Kaitlynn (Far Right) is one of the students who works in SIRC.

An Insight to Internships

Classes have officially begun and, as predicted, we’re pretty busy kids already. I’m glad we had Labor Day as one last break before the semester really gets underway!

I’ve run into so many people I know in just the first week that it blows my mind! This place definitely gets smaller the more time you spend here. I think I know someone in every one of my classes, which means I’ll probably need to look presentable in them instead of showing up in sweatpants…at least for the first few classes until the desire to look nice is trumped by the desire to sleep longer. But anyway, I ran into my friend, Andrew Bromley, in one of my classes and really enjoyed talking to him about his summer experience and how his classes are going, so I asked him to tell you all a little about it!

Hey friends, Andrew here.  I’m entering my third year here at MSU, and not to be outdone by the ladies, I also have two majors.  I’m currently studying Hospitality Business and Dietetics and pursuing a specialization in Food Processing and Technology.  Continuing with my resume, I serve as the marketing director for Les Gourmets 2010, director of finance for Career Expo XXXI, and the president of the Eli Broad Scholar Organization.  But enough about that, let’s talk about what I’m actually doing with all of the knowledge I’ve gained here at MSU.  This summer, I completed my level II internship at Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club in Harbor Springs, MI.  I think my official title was “Floor Leader”, but everyone just referred to me as “the intern”.  As might be typical of an internship in a small business, my job duties were rather…abstract.  On typical days, I supervised the restaurant operations – checked on customers, helped out and managed the wait staff, and generally took care of things while my bosses were busy.  In addition to “normal” work, I also helped to revamp some of the organizational records for the club.  My main project was to reorganize two massive wine coolers which it seemed had last been organized…never.  In the process of grouping wines by grape type, region, etc. I wound up learning a lot about the subject (for example, the difference between a ‘grand cru’ and a ‘village’ – you have to pronounce this [vɪ.`lɑʒ] so that people know you’re fancy – also the extreme impact vintage makes on the quality and value of wines from different areas).  When I had everything organized, labeled, and transferred to a digital kind of ‘interface’, I installed a perpetual inventory system for the wine so that management could cross reference sales with physical inventory every month.  I was also able to pick up some support skills, particularly bartending, that will hopefully help to get me a job next semester.  While it wasn’t the relaxing summer I had hoped for, I can’t deny that I learned a lot during my on-the-job training at Birchwood.

Back at MSU and with the absence of wedding parties lasting until 2am, I’m excited to get back into a slightly more regular schedule (if that’s even possible in college).  In contrast to last year which focused on dietetics, this year should be full of HB fun – I have 4 hospitality classes this semester, one of which is an honors independent study with Dr. Elsworth.  Throughout the semester, I will be working to craft a business plan based on the entrepreneurial concept that won me first place nationally in the Al Schuman Ecolab scholarship competition.  I can’t divulge too much information about my concept as I plan to make lots of money with it at some point, but I can say that it’s a vegetarian themed casual-fine dining experiment that borrows concepts from ‘eatertainment’ strategies.  I also hope to incorporate a powerful customer loyalty program with knowledge I gained in my time researching last year under Dr. Clay Voorhees in the marketing department.

Another HB class that should prove interesting is HB 302, Hospitality Managerial Accounting.  I should say that I’m a little worried that I seem to like my accounting classes so much as my dad is a CPA and accounting professor, and I always told him how boring all of his “accounting talk” was.  The more I learn and use accounting concepts, however, it turns out (sadly) that they might actually be really useful in the real world…

I should run though because I think my ramen might be burning in the microwave – If the girls decide they don’t hate me, I imagine I’ll be back to talk to you later – if not though, it’s been fun!

Andrew’s welcome back anytime, well, at least as long as he has something interesting to say which may not be all that likely (Kidding! Kidding!). But on a more serious note, it was great running into him and I hope he keeps us updated on his independent study and his business plan…maybe he’ll find some investors out there?

One last thing, Andrew shared with us this awesome quote from Rabindranath Tagore that really makes us feel great about choosing a major that focuses so much on serving others. I can’t think of a better way to end this entry; we’ll be pondering this quote until next time!

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

A Welcome from Lauren…

Hello, Lauren here. Welcome to our blog! Kelsey and I are very excited to tell you all about our travels throughout this school year. To start off, let me share with you a little about myself. I’m in my 4th year at MSU and am expecting this to be the best one yet! I’m working on two degrees, one in Hospitality Business and the other in Communication. For the past year, Kelsey and I have worked together as Public Relations Coordinators for The School of Hospitality Business which has been an extremely rewarding opportunity! I also work as a Night Receptionist Supervisor on campus and participate in a number of activities in the Eli Broad College of Business. I’m currently on the Executive Board for CAREER EXPO, The School’s student organized career fair, and I’m on the Executive Board for the Eli Broad Scholars Organization. This summer I worked on campus at MSU, spent a lot of quality time with friends and took a few fun road trips. I visited Grand Haven, MI for the first time and went white water rafting on the Hudson River in New York! In May, Kelsey and I traveled with The School to Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show where we were able to network with alumni and industry professionals while having a fun time with our fellow students! Although somewhat sad that summer has come to an end, I’m really excited for this school year and know that it will be a busy one! I hope you come back soon and look for updates from us!

I'm a team captain for MSU's Relay for Life. Here I am with the luminaries I made for the 2009 event.

Photo Op with the gelatto stand cow at the National Restaurant Association Show! Check out our sweet passes!