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It was a heated rivalry (no, not the show everyone is binge-watching) as learners from New Brunswick Community College’s (NBCC) Hotel & Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Management programs fused friendly competition and culinary creativity together at Street Food Fest. The three-day pop-up restaurant put students’ skills to the test through real-world service and customer interactions.

From Tuesday, March 3 to Thursday, March 5, NBCC welcomed hundreds of local food enthusiasts to an exclusive taste of New Brunswick’s emerging hospitality and tourism scene through seven student-run pop-up restaurants. Each team delivered innovative menus featuring ingredients sourced in partnership with Savour NB, while managing every aspect of operations, from the kitchen to customer service.

“With final grades on the line, this event really turns up the heat for our learners” said Jason Blonde, Coordinating Instructor for Hotel and Restaurant Management at NBCC. “Street Food Fest challenges them to apply their skills, work as a team, and deliver quality service to real customers—mirroring the fast-paced environment they’ll encounter in the workplace.”

The stakes were high, while serving steaks and other mouthwatering culinary creations. Students were evaluated as they transformed the campus kitchen into several micro-restaurant spaces, serving as many guests as possible, as efficiently as possible. As part of their assessment, beyond the plate, teams were evaluated on how well they marketed their pop-up restaurants ahead of the event to attract customers.

The result was packed lineups and food lovers eager to try something new, including sizzling sliders, decadent lobster rolls, flavour-packed sushi pizza, and more!

“It doesn’t get more real than this,” said Blonde. “Students interacting with actual customers—people they may serve again once employed. Experiential learning is part of our education that works and one of the reasons why employers love to hire our NBCC graduates.”

Monica Cabral, a Hotel & Restaurant Management student at NBCC, described the event as ‘awesome’ and a true reflection of the workplace. Working directly with customers, collaborating with peers, and adapting on the fly gave her first-hand insight into the realities of the industry. “This is real life. You’re trying to prepare for the first day, and you don’t know what’s going to happen. On the second day, we changed a few things,” she shared, noting how the experience strengthened her confidence and prepared her for the job market.

Once again, Street Food Fest proved to be a winning recipe, giving the community a taste of what’s next for New Brunswick’s hospitality scene. Through events like this, NBCC continues to prepare students for success, equipping them with the skills and confidence to make a lasting impact in industries like hospitality and tourism, in New Brunswick, and beyond.

For more information on NBCC’s Hospitality and Tourism programs, visit nbcc.ca.

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View photos from Street Food Fest here!

MEDIA CONTACT:
Strategic Communications Team, NBCC
communications@nbcc.ca

ABOUT NBCC:
As one of New Brunswick’s largest postsecondary education institutions, NBCC drives social and economic wellbeing across the province. NBCC welcomes more than 12,000 learners each year through quality-assured, relevant training opportunities. NBCC is committed to accelerating skills development, innovating educational delivery, and reaching unprecedented numbers of New Brunswickers. Find out more at: www.nbcc.ca.