Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt
The fork goes on the left and the dessert spoon goes at the top. Moreover, do not forget to start on the outside and work inward towards the plate. The cutlery resting directly on the plate indicates the end of the meal to the catering team.
These were only some of the many dining etiquette tips provided to the 150+ students and professionals by the special guest speaker of the Etiquette Dinner, Sabra Jewell. Jewell is the Communications Coordinator for the City of Monmouth, with a background in communications and experience in hospitality and catering. This made Jewell the perfect candidate for guiding guests of the event toward a professional dining experience.
“I’ve done it all,” explained Jewell. “I have served every kind of level of practice and style of dining on every kind of budget. I have seen it all from that perspective.”
The Center for Professional Pathways is the on-campus organization that brings the Etiquette Dinner together for students every year. However, the event — despite being a student favorite for many years — was absent from campus tradition for some time due to a brief hiatus.
This year, the Center for Professional Pathways partnered with the Stitch Closet to provide students with a double event through both dinner and a fashion show. The purpose of the culmination of the two events was to teach students about professional and business communication, as well as the importance of nonverbal cues and fashion etiquette — whilst still encouraging an environment where guests can have fun and dress in formal attire.
The fashion show took place prior to the dinner, which presented guests with eight categories of attire — including interview attire, sports attire and formal work attire — and encouraged guests to make an educated guess on which attire corresponded with which category. The Stitch Closet rewarded the individuals with the highest number of correct answers with flowers from the event.
The dinner portion of the event consisted of a three-course meal, featuring mocktails and the option for both vegan and gluten-free alternatives. Jewell taught attendees the intricacies of dining etiquette as the guests ate and conversed, such as where to place cutlery, how to correctly butter bread, the correct way to pass the pitcher of water — and most importantly — reminded attendees to keep elbows off the table and their posture straight.
Jewell explained the importance of an event such as this, stating “These events expand your network. You never know who you’re going to meet sitting at one of these tables. It could be your future mentor; your future boss. It could be somebody who’s gonna be a peer who’s gonna help connect you to things in your own career.”
The event was free of charge to any student or community member who wished to participate. It could not have occurred without the help of the sponsor, Ash Creek Animals Clinic, and the beautiful table decor donations from TL Celebrations and generous floral arrangements from Petal & Vines. Ultimately, the event culminated in a resounding success.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
