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STPPH Students Explore Southeast Asia through a ?Gala Lunch? as their Final Project

24/07/2018 Uncategorized

In a timespan of a week, June 5-8th 2018, STPPH (Pelita Harapan School of Hospitality and Tourism) students from the 2016 batch faced a challenge to hold a ?Gala Lunch? as their 6th semester Final Exam Projects

An STPPH student experimenting with drinks for guests

In a timespan of a week, June 5-8th 2018, STPPH (Pelita Harapan School of Hospitality and Tourism) students from the 2016 batch faced a challenge to hold a ?Gala Lunch? as their 6th-semester Final Exam Projects. The 8 classes were divided into 4 groups (each group consisting of 2 classes) to hold the ?Gala Lunch?, boasting the theme Southeast Asia, choosing between 4 countries, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

The opening of the ?Gala Lunch? presented Filipino cuisine in the STPPH Restaurant on the 5th of June 2018. This Filipino-themed ?Gala Lunch? is set up in a really impressive way, with a Food and Beverages menu and Filipino-themed d?cor. The people lucky to feel this Filipino experience include UPH Rector Dr. (Hon) Jonathan L. Parapak, M. Eng. Sc., STPPH lecturers, parents, and industry partners, namely the Hotel Allium Tangerang and Hotel Swissbell representatives.

Nonot Yuliantoro, one of the lecturers overseeing this final exam project, stated that the Southeast Asia theme is chosen to add to the students? experience in collaborating with the cultures of each country. Prior to representing the Southeast Asian countries, STPPH students also explored Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian cuisines.

Nonot added that this project also aims to challenge students. ?In addition to being the closing of their practicum, from this project students are also challenged to apply what they have been learning during all their time studying here through collaborating in making an event, especially a restaurant event. After all, this program has, in fact, existed ever since STPPH was first established – how to explore a country?s uniqueness and express it through a catchy event planning, exploring ideas in serving food and drinks, and decoration. This project provides the pressure to make them used to make a thematic program where they have to utilize all the skills related to kitchen, pastry, bar, restaurant, and, of course, event planning,? Nonot explained.

Nonot also explained that UPH?s Hospitality Department usually does push students to come up with thematic ideas, because in the hospitality industry, they will indeed be expected to be able to plan events that are catchy, innovative, and studded with brilliant ideas so that they will not be beaten by competitors, which will result in an increase in revenue.

In the Filipino-themed ?Gala Lunch?, there were certainly a lot of challenges faced by students. Felicia Oscar, Hospitality Management 2016 student, who is also the head of an event for the Filipino cuisine group, admitted that time and budget management proves to be the biggest challenge. For one month, Felicia and her team had continually conducted trials and tests on the food and beverages served. There were 4 entries ? appetizers, main course, soup, and dessert. There was a choice of two mocktails and cocktails, one of them being the Sangria made of red wine and white wine.

?I am really happy and I am also thankful, because through this project, not only I did learn through theory, but I can also practice the theories I have learned. This project helps me to prepare and really learn before I did any internships or get into the real world. This is also what makes me happy to be part of the STPPH students, where we are not just taught through theory but also through experiences like this one, that will be extremely important in the long run. Also, the STPPH lecturers, who are really helpful, as well as the exposure to the real industrial world all through our studies are abundant, and because of that, we really do learn a lot here. Surely all this also supported by the UPH facilities that really are equipping to us through our learning process,? Felicia said.

Along with lunch, the Filipino cuisine group also prepared student performances ? songs, dances, and a welcoming drink for the Rector and all the distinguished guests coming to the ?Gala Lunch?.

Through this project, it is expected that every STPPH student will come to understand what will be demanded of the graduates in the industrial world and learn to plan and execute events well.