What’s Valentine’s Day without homemade sweet treats from the Aladdin’s culinary team at Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Arizona? Food Service Director and Chef Dianna Stevenson made it extra special with an authentic Oriental meal and the freshly baked goods she makes onsite from scratch!
According to Chef Dianna “I put this special meal on for my students free of charge. It’s hard for freshman students to be away for the first time, so creating an extra special meal for them, with décor and homemade cookies and cupcakes, makes students feel like they are home.”
Chef Dianna baked homemade sugar cookies, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache filling and topped with buttercream icing, and strawberry cupcakes with strawberry filling and strawberry buttercream icing. A BeWell “Fueled” no-bake energy bites were prepared to accommodate students on a no-sugar and health-focused diet. No-bake energy bites are made with peanut butter, oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, honey, and almonds. Students also loved the Koolicles – pickles submerged in Cool Aide!
Chef Dianna is more than familiar with Central Arizona College – she is a graduate of the college’s culinary school. In fact, Chef Dianna started her career at Central Arizona College as a food service worker and worked her way up to food service director!
Chef Dianna thanks the team from the bottom of her heart on this Valentine’s Day celebration “I could not accomplish what I do without my awesome team,” she says.
Newly appointed District Manager to the region, Mark Slater’s goal is to capture and recognize all the hard work that our teams are doing for our students and clients. “Kudos to Chef Dianna and her team including Theresa Rodriguez (head supervisor); Mallard Heath (facilities – Chef’s everything!); and Bree Volheim (administrator and team photographer),” Mark says.
Look for more baking extravaganzas from this talented culinary team during St. Patrick’s Day and Easter holiday celebrations!
