On September 10, 2025, the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, DC, hosted its annual food and cultural event, the Soiree Suisse, during which students from the Arlington Career Center Culinary Arts program had the opportunity to cater an authentic dessert. With the support of Nestle mentors, a sponsor of the event and a strong partner of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), the students served the “Cafe Noir Delight” to multiple prominent guests and sponsors. The catering invitation was sent through the NRAEF, which contacted Virginia ProStart coordinator, Dr. Jai Girard, to recruit our program. This opportunity broadly revealed the talent and passion we have at the Arlington Career Center.

When the program received the invitation to participate in the Embassy’s event, the students had to attend a summer launch during the week of July 23rd, where they brainstormed original dessert recipes that featured Nestle products for the catering event. This counted as a PBL activity and took place in the Nestlé Corporate Headquarters in Rosslyn, Arlington. The students who participated in this launch were: Danny Ventura, Ana Jara, J’Shema Porter, and Ali Quiroz Ferrer. The chosen dessert, the “Cafe Noir Delight,” was Danny Ventura’s creation. The dessert consisted of an espresso jelly as the first layer, followed by a Cailler chocolate mousse layer, topped with a thin layer of whipped cream and garnished with a piece of brownie and crystallized chocolate, and was inspired by the espresso martini drink. The students got to work with Chef Tom Moran, Ms. Alana Kasindorf, and Ms. Stephanie Draper from Nestlé as their mentors. With their support, the students learned more about the culinary industry as they polished the recipe and learned how to make the best out of this opportunity.

To make the project possible, every single student from the program had to participate. Around 1000 tasting desserts had to be prepared. The dedication was complete, as we wanted evidence that, at the Arlington Career Center, students do not just cook, but they are driven by their passion to excel in every chance they get, to make things top-notch.

On the day of the event, 900 people attended, and it is safe to say that our dessert was popular among guests, having sold out by the end of the night. Aside from the student chefs who worked during the PBL launch, students who had previously participated in ProStart Competitions were able to support and attend the event as well. Lyle Schwartz, Thomas Manouidilis, and Noah Al-Saigh crafted drinks, such as the Iced Vanilla Lavender Lattes, which accompanied the main dessert. Students also got to meet Dr. Ralf Heckner, the Ambassador of Switzerland, who stopped by their stations to greet and learn more about the product. 

When asked about the importance of this noteworthy occasion for the program, Chef Renee Randolph, the teacher of the ACC Culinary Program, answered that this was an opportunity for the students to do a large volume catering with high-quality ingredients while being exposed to a fine dining event, all with the support of a huge, important corporation, Nestlé. I also interviewed a few students who participated throughout the entire catering process and the event. I asked them to describe their experience catering for such a distinguished Embassy event in one word, and these were their responses:

Danny Ventura: “Excitement. I feel excited for the possible opportunities in the future that I have gained from working with Nestle and I am excited for the doors we have opened for the Arlington career center culinary arts program.”

Ana Jara: “I think one word that would describe the experience of going to the embassy would be exciting or chilling, even though I didn’t know what to expect, when we got there I was still very excited to see how things would play out and try to do the best so things would go as smoothly as possible.”

J’Shema Porter: “Honored. I feel honored because of the opportunity that I had to go, because so many people do not have the opportunity to work with Nestle so closely and on such a big scale, and not many people get to go to an embassy for such a big event.”

The Soiree Suisse was not just a catering event; it proved the potential and skills we have at the Culinary Arts program in the Arlington Career Center. From the summer launch to the packed embassy event, students stepped up to the real world and gave all their effort, patience, and mindset. We are truly grateful for this opportunity, and now, we look forward to more future partnership collaborations and to helping our students get real-world work experience.