Students, faculty and staff from Niagara College’s hospitality, culinary, and beverage programs are giving VIP’s at the Canada Games a chance to savor made-at-NC products.
Cynthia Tejeda Martin del Campo is a student in the Tourism Management – Business Development (Co-op) program.
Inside the VIP Lounge at Canada Games Park, Tourism Management – Business Development (Co-op) program student Cynthia Tejeda Martin del Campo is part of a cross-departmental team delivering an elevated experience to high-profile guests.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this hospitality role in the Canada Summer Games. It’s a great opportunity for a student like me to learn more about event planning, sports, and about the Niagara Region,” said del Campo, who is originally from Merida, Mexico. “It is also great to get to talk to other people from other provinces and get to know more about Canada.”
Products available for guests include honey produced by students in the Commercial Beekeeping program, and succulents grown by students in the Teaching Greenhouse.
Special guests can sip on a glass of “Gingerly Peach,” a signature mocktail curated by professor and sommelier Kristina Inman.
Professor and sommelier Kristina Inman shows students how to make the signature mocktail of the Canada Games.
“I wanted to make something that was representative of Niagara College, our region, our specific hospitality program, and of course something that was delicious! Non-alcoholic cocktails are a huge trend right now, and this was a great opportunity to showcase one for our VIPs,” she said.
The seasonal beverage – prepared and served by del Campo and her team in the VIP lounge – showcases the bounty of Niagara peaches, the warmth of KVAS ginger syrup created by local NC alumna Amy Kvas (Winery and Viticulture Technician, 2015), and the freshness of Thai basil grown in the College greenhouse.
Inman paired local ingredients with imported ones to represent NC’s diverse international community.
“The reason we’re using Thai basil for this mocktail, in addition to its flavor, is because at NC, we welcome students from all over the world, and that’s part of our classroom,” said Inman. “We learn from them and it makes our classes better.”
The mocktails are an example of student learning in mixology, as those in both the degree and hospitality diploma programs are assigned with crafting their own cocktails.
VIP’s can also nibble on NC-button cookies made by Bittersweet Symphony, a Niagara Falls artisanal bakeshop run by NC Culinary Management program alumni Niti Ruparel (2020) and Pawan Lulla (2017).
“It’s truly fantastic that the College is part of events of such magnitude like this one. I’m a proud Niagara College student,” said del Campo.
NC’s Christine Blane, professor, Stephen Carroll, professor, Sarah Scott, Manager, Foodservices Operations, and Jenna Wilson, professor and Placement Officer for the sport management internship joined Del Campo and Inman in the VIP Lounge to tell the NC story through food and drink.
Watch the CHCH segment featuring the NC brand in the VIP Lounge at 5:40.
