In a new bootcamp that ran from Jan. 5-11, 10 Trinity students and 16 Culinary Institute of America (CIA) students paired up to create and market a culinary product through hands-on learning. Students combined their entrepreneurship and chef skills in the kitchen and the classroom to compete for the title of overall best business.
The bootcamp included creating a business plan and managing a market stand which was judged at the local Pearl Farmers Market. On the first day of camp, students learned they would have to come up with an innovative version of an American classic, the grilled cheese.
Throughout the week, professionals led hands-on courses and workshops at both Trinity and CIA’s campuses to help students tackle these tasks and perform well in the competition. Orion Tyree, first-year marketing major, participated in this bootcamp and said being directly involved in product development and marketing changed the course of their college career.
The camp divided Tyree and other participants into teams, consisting of two students from Trinity and two students from the CIA. Students then came up with a team name and marketing strategy, developing unique twists in their grilled cheese businesses to stand out among competitors.
Tyree said their team was called “Parmageddon,” developing a nontraditional grilled cheese similar to a chicken parm. On a different team, JR Law, sophomore marketing major, worked to create a light, simple, French-style grilled cheese, paired with a fruit salad, romesco sauce and pesto sauce.
Law said he enjoyed the collaborative, real-world design of the bootcamp. Though he said he felt a bit out of place in the kitchen, the experience of actually getting his hands dirty in product development was impactful.
“I like to learn by doing,” Law said. “So, by having this bootcamp be highly interactive and having a good chunk of the week be working in the kitchen with CIA students, it really engaged my learning in all aspects.”
Kate Klein, senior marketing and Spanish double-major, named her team “Cheesin’.” She said that the activities throughout the bootcamp focused on the practical application of her team’s diverse skill set, which helped “Cheesin’” create a business geared towards families and kids.
As a marketing major, she said she enjoyed the focus on attracting customers through posters, shirts and creative magnets such as pup cups. On presentation day at the Pearl, Klein took advantage of this strategy, using peanut butter whipped cream pup cups to attract dogs and customers to her market stand.
“Within the team, my partner and I were really on the business and marketing side, and the CIA people were doing the kitchen,” Klein said. “But, I also know a lot about food and really wanted to be involved in the kitchen and help.”
The competition included a variety of awards ranging from Judge’s Choice to People’s Choice and Best Business Plan.
“My team won the Judges’ Choice, but I really just enjoyed seeing everything come to life, the booth, the team, the shirts and them selling and pitching it,” Klein said.
Tyree said that this experience participating in the bootcamp led them to switch their major from engineering to marketing. They credited Trinity’s interdisciplinary learning structure and the flexibility to change course during their college career.
“I don’t think I could get this experience at any school,” Tyree said. “That level of experimentation — I don’t think you get anywhere else besides Trinity.”
While the first of its kind, student participants said they hope the bootcamp comes back next year.
*Julianna Plewes, Pulse editor, was a contributing writer for this piece.
