At a glance
“Knowing proper etiquette at a business dinner is an important skill for our students to have in their tool box when they are interviewing for jobs. I have collaborated with Heather before, and she does an amazing job walking students through the whole experience.”
Valerie Daciw
Senior Career Planning and Development Associate
The Alfred State Career Development Office recently hosted an etiquette dinner in the Allegany room for students. Attendees learned the ins and outs of formal business dining.
Heather Kolakowski, a lecturer in food and beverage management at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, walked the students through proper etiquette throughout the evening starting from introductions to tips and pointers on each course of dinner.
On top of her teaching duties, Kolakowski is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell, which is a student-run hospitality showcase conference which allows students the opportunity to put theory into practice. She has also taught at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where she taught introductory table service and formal hospitality and service management.
Senior Career Planning and Development Associate Valerie Daciw was excited to offer this learning opportunity to ASC students. “Knowing proper etiquette at a business dinner is an important skill for our students to have in their tool box when they are interviewing for jobs. I have collaborated with Heather before, and she does an amazing job walking students through the whole experience.”
“I am thankful that we were able to partner with the Sport Management Club to put on this event. The attendees really were able to learn, and I look forward to hearing how they put their new skills into action during their job search.”
Prior to dinner starting, Alfred State President Dr. Steve Mauro shared his own experiences and applauded the students for being proactive for learning these important skills.
The Career Development Office, located on the fourth floor (Room 404) of the Student Leadership Center, offers many tools and advice to students and alum searching for the right job.