Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, Davis

Title of entry: Lunar New Year Kick Off Event

About this entry: To celebrate the Lunar New Year we partnered with UC Davis Alumni and Celebrity Chef Martin Yan, whose tenure as a leader in Chinese cuisine on TV for the public paired well with our efforts to create a festive and educational atmosphere for guests at our on-campus global dining restaurant, Latitude. Martin Yan is a chef, food writer, author of many cookbooks, and hosts an award-winning and beloved PBS-TV cooking show, Yan Can Cook, which began in 1982 and continues to this day with over 3,500 episodes.

Working with the dining operations team, chefs, campus departments, and more, our marketing team created an engaging, educational, and unique event for students, staff, and the community to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This event included cooking demos and hands-on experiences, a menu co-developed between chefs, students, and Yan, decorations and giveaways for guests, and meet and greets. This event was widely shared on social media, local news, and resulted in a 93% increase in guest count for the day and positive feedback in post event surveys.

For lunch and dinner that day, Latitude Restaurant served an Asian-inspired menu with considerations for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergy-friendly and Halal. Some savory dishes include Hap Tou Haa (honey walnut prawns), Mabo Doufu (Szechuan tofu), Korean Fried Chicken and Pyogo Bohsot (mushrooms in soy sauce). We wanted to honor the culture through delicious food as well as make it inclusive for all dietary and religious accommodations so everyone could enjoy our carefully prepared dishes.