Culinary Skills on Display as Part of "Welcome Back to Boston" Programming
September 19, 2012
As a kickoff to Emmanuel's 2012-2013 "Welcome Back to Boston" event series, part of the College's Weeks of Welcome programming, students got a surprise visit from the administration at dinner in the Marian Hall Dining Room on September 17th. During regular dining hours, Emmanuel's Vice President of Academic Affairs Joyce De Leo, Dean of Arts and Sciences Bill Leonard, Dean of Students Joe Onofrietti and Vice President of Student Affairs Patricia Rissmeyer helped serve their own favorite recipes at dinner stations, interacting with students and showcasing their own culinary skills.
Dr. Leonard's beef tenderloin, Dr. Rissmeyer's chicken Florentine, and Dr. De Leo's authentic Italian pasta were all extremely popular at the dinner stations, while Dr. Onofrietti's tiramisu was described by Meg Rusotto '14 as "heaven."
The event not only gave new and returning students an opportunity to connect with the administration on a personal level, but also provided them with the chance to submit their own recipes to Bon Appétit, the school's dining service.
"I think the students were a little surprised at first, but you could tell they enjoyed seeing us here interacting with them," said Dr. Leonard.
Director of Student Center Services/Assistant Director of Student Activities Kevin Farrell, one of the coordinators of the event, said it served several purposes. In addition to giving students an opportunity to connect with the vice presidents and deans, it helped to introduce the entire "Welcome Back to Boston" program.
"We wanted students to have the opportunity to meet the administration in a more casual setting," he said. "They want to be accessible to students, and this was the perfect opportunity to do that. But it also allowed us to get the word out about some of the upcoming events we'll be doing this semester."
All four administrators involved felt the event went over very well with the students who attended, and were grateful for the chance to work not only with those students, but each other.
"I think the students enjoyed seeing us here serving them - it was fun!" said Dr. Rissmeyer. "The four of us really loved working together on this as well."
Ian Fay '15 felt that the event helped to strengthen the connections with staff and faculty that Emmanuel students have come to expect.
"I loved walking into dinner and seeing [them] right there in the café with us," he said. "It just goes to show how dedicated they are to making those personal connections with the students. That's what makes Emmanuel so great."
The willingness of the administrators to spend their Monday evening relating with the students showed the unique community atmosphere that Emmanuel boasts - and it certainly didn't go unnoticed.
"A lot of students made a point to say thank you several times," said Dr. Onofrietti. "You could tell they really appreciated us being here."
- Dan Bourque '13
