Accompanied by various wine selections, 32 respected Dallas chefs alongside Dallas College culinary, pastry and hospitality students served 18,000 plates of different creations made. Dishes such as ahi tuna tostadas, chicken tsukune, bao buns and wagyu beef were presented. Booths like La Casita Bakeshop, SkillsUSA, and DUNE offered puff pastries, citrus spring trifle and tres leches cake.
Bits & Bites took place April 21 for its 17th year. The annual fundraiser was held at the Dallas Arboretum’s A Tasteful Place. As people visited each booth and mingled, the scenic backdrop of White Rock Lake and blooming flowers and plants provided accompaniment to the food. Music from DJ Mouth from the South filled the air and created a laid-back atmosphere as people sampled all that Bits & Bites had to offer.
The event allowed culinary, pastry and hospitality students to network and experience hands-on training. Eileen Piña, a student at El Centro, said she enjoyed the down time by trying food from different stands. “Getting to try all of them was a really big experience,” Piña said. “Some are sweet, some are salty, there’s a lot of combinations of very different things.” She said she felt the connections made during the event better prepared her for the future, some people offered advice and asked questions of what interested her in the field.
Different vendors attended Bits & Bites promoting their services to chefs and restaurants. Turn Compost, a woman-owned residential and commercial composting company was among the attending vendors. Karl Shewry, chef educator and residential supervisor at Turn Compost, marketed with restaurants and introduced their restaurant composting program. Shewry said: “It’s great to see established chefs work with new graduates and soon-to-be graduates of a great program at Dallas College. It’s always good for chefs to see other chefs and enjoy each other’s food.”
Students at the SkillsUSA table prepared a citrus spring trifle. It included an orange chiffon cake, lemon verbena curd and vanilla crumble with matcha cream on top. Students were tasked with calculating and making sure they had correct quantities of items to serve.
Stephanie Gutierrez, a student who participated in one of the SkillsUSA competitions, said: “There’s honest face-to-face feedback. I like hearing what people like, what they didn’t like and how I can improve and tweak things to make it better.”
Andrea Saldana, a Dallas College alumna, said she has been participating in Bits & Bites since 2012: first with Gordon Ramsay North America and this year as she launched her new business, SW Private Dining. The S stands for Saldana and the W for her husband’s last name, Wilson. Together they offer consulting, corporate catering, personal chef services, wedding and social event catering. Saldana was paired with Aminata Traore, a second year culinary arts student. Traore said she appreciated partnering with Saldana as she shadowed her through the event, and now views Saldana as a mentor as she hopes to become a private chef one day.
“Bits & Bites plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of aspiring chefs and hospitality professionals,” Saldana said. “By providing funds for culinary and hospitality programs, offering enhanced learning experiences, facilitating networking opportunities with established chefs and providing hands-on experience alongside the best in Dallas-Fort Worth, it equips students with invaluable skills and connections for their future careers.”
Bits & Bites serves as a unifying force in the culinary industry. Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, was this year’s honoree. Her work advocating for Texas restaurants to protect and advance the culinary industry highlights what this fundraiser is all about.
