White Linen and Fine Dining at Our Place

Media Release from Our Place Society
Release Date: January 21, 2014

Camosun College Hospitality Management Training Students bring elegant dining to Greater Victoria's homeless

VICTORIA, BC It's a scene not often witnessed at Our Place: waiters and waitresses dressed in impeccable black and white while delivering savory meals to the tables of Greater Victoria's homeless and impoverished.

But on Wednesday, January 22, that is exactly what will happen when 35 first-year students of Camosun College's Hospitality Management Training Program bring a touch of fine dining to the area's most vulnerable citizens.

"Just because you're homeless or down on your luck doesn't mean you can't enjoy the experience of a gourmet meal served with elegance," said Our Place Executive Director Don Evans. The hospitality students get to practice their skills, learn more about giving back, and it's a real treat for our family members."

The special menu, served from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., includes: bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, Shawnigan Lake chanterelle mushroom velouté, roasted garlic and basil mashed potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet white onions, and zucchini. Plus, for dessert, winter apple strudel with rosemary caramel sauce and vanilla whipped cream. Students will deliver table service, complete with all the amenities one expects from a fine dining experience.

"Partnering with the Our Place Society affords our Hospitality Management Business students the opportunity to explore innovative ways to create partnerships, build relationships, and give back to community," said David Armstrong, program leader for Camosun's Hospitality Management. "You can talk about social responsibility, but it isn't real until you experience the very tangible results of participating in some form of community service."

Event: Camosun/Our Place 4th annual fine dining event at Our Place, managed by first-year Hospitality Management students
Details: Approximately 35 students and their instructors will organize, prepare for and execute a two-course table-served meal for approximately 500 guests as the first applied introduction to their Integrated Restaurant Management course.
When: Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Where: Our Place Society, 919 Pandora Ave, Victoria
Website: www.ourplacesociety.com

Our Place is an inner-city community centre serving Greater Victoria's most vulnerable: working poor, impoverished elderly, mental and physically challenged, and the homeless. Individuals and businesses provide the majority of financial support for its programs and services. Our Place provides 45 transitional housing units, over 1,200 meals per day, hot showers, free clothing, counseling and outreach services. Most importantly, it provides a sense of hope and belonging to our neighbours in need.