Recreation and Tourism Management

A collaborative solution to culinary career challenges

Sarah Holland — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:29:31 +0000

A collaborative solution to culinary career challenges Sarah Holland Tue, 03/25/2025 - 10:29

One of the best parts of any town is its local food. But in the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns, keeping local restaurants alive and thriving requires a new approach.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

In partnership with the City of Fairfax, Town of Vienna, and the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association Foundation (VRLTAF), George Mason is working on a solution: the Culinary Careers Collaborative (CCC) is a workforce development project to get restaurant workers the foundational skills they need to succeed.

Jai Girard, director of education and workforce development for the VRLTAF, explained that the restaurant industry has often struggled with recruitment and retention. “The challenge has intensified in recent years,” she said. Hospitality employees who were laid off during the lockdowns found jobs in other industries. Business travelers, who were a significant market for Northern Virginia restaurants, have not returned to the pre-2020 numbers. And with growing competition from the gig economy, restaurants are struggling to recruit and retain their staff.

As restaurants face growing challenges, the City of Fairfax and Town of Vienna wanted to find a solution.

“This is a challenge that transcends jurisdictional borders,” said Ashley Curtis, marketing and business engagement specialist for the Town of Vienna. "Hungry diners aren’t thinking about where the city starts and the town begins: They’re just enjoying the food. We have a shared goal to support the places our residents and visitors love to eat.”

“We knew we needed partners who could bring expertise in hospitality and restaurant management, so we looked to George Mason and VRLTAF,” said Tara Borwey, assistant director of programs for Fairfax City Economic Development. George Mason has one of the only hospitality degree programs in the area.

“We’re all in such close proximity to one another, and therefore we all have a vested interest in maintaining a strong relationship and improving our shared community,” she said.

Using feedback from restaurant owners around Fairfax City and Town of Vienna, the team developed three tracks: beginning culinary skills, beverage skills, and advanced management. Each track totals 24 credit hours taken over four days. Fairfax City and the Town of Vienna fully funded the programs so they are completely free for participants.

Students practice during the beverage skills track. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

“Partnerships between universities and local communities are essential for creating meaningful workforce development,” said Min Park, associate professor in the Tourism and �鶹�� Management program in the College of Education and Human Development. “These partnerships ensure that training programs are academically sound and aligned with workforce demands.”

The beginning culinary skills track and beverage skills track are designed to build foundational skills for industry newcomers. Culinary students learn fundamental cooking techniques and knife skills; beverage students learned how to mix cocktails and pair wines; both tracks include instruction in hygiene and sanitation protocols, service management skills, regulation compliance, and operational strategies.

Students learn skills that will put them in a stronger starting position and get the chance to see if this industry is the right fit without risk for either the student or the restaurant losing a job or an employee.

“Retention is just as important as recruitment,” said Girard. “These tracks remove some of that steep learning curve barrier of these entry-level positions that could scare some people away. They can see if the industry is a good fit for them, while gaining skills that will make them more confident in what can be a stressful environment for someone new and untrained.”

George Mason alumna Sophia Tran, BS Tourism and �鶹�� Management ’22, a current graduate student pursuing a master's in management with a certificate in human resources in the Costello College of Business, took the beverage track and earned the ServSafe certificate and the Beverage Arts certificate. The ServSafe certificate, administered by the National Restaurant Administration, demonstrates an individual’s knowledge of food safety protocols and procedures. “I would highly recommend the track. I learned a lot about the wine and cocktail industries,” she said.

Advanced management track participants and instructors. Photo provided.

The third track—advanced management—is the only track specifically for current industry employees, designed to upskill current or potential leaders with instruction on managerial theories and practices. The inaugural module ran in July 2024 with 13 participants, taught through a collaboration between a professor of the Tourism and �鶹�� Management program and leading industry practitioners.

“Many of our restaurants are locally owned small businesses, and they don’t usually have resources like this. It’s a DIY mentality, training people on the job,” said Curtis. “But small business is the heartbeat of our region, so being able to support them makes this really special.”

The locations of the tracks vary based on the needs of the curriculum. Dolce Vita Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar in Fairfax City hosted the beverage class, which concluded its first session in January. The beginning culinary track, which will run its inaugural session in June 2025, will use the College of Public Health Nutrition Kitchen in Peterson Hall.

Said Curtis, “Collaborations like this make this region a great place to work, play, learn, and live.”

To register for upcoming tracks, visit the CCC website.

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Topics

College of Education and Human Development

Recreation and Tourism Management

Costello College of Business

Workforce Development

Costello College of Business News

Mason student helps Town of Warrenton manage return to recreation

Colleen Rich — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 15:12:44 +0000

Mason student helps Town of Warrenton manage return to recreation Colleen Rich Fri, 09/17/2021 - 11:12

Christopher Frost. Photo courtesy of Frost

Christopher Frost had two goals. He needed to complete an independent study to finish his master’s degree in exercise, fitness and health promotion at George Mason �鶹��. And he wanted to give back to the Town of Warrenton, Virginia, where he’s lived since 2018.

Frost decided that his independent study would be helping the Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility (WARF) determine the needs of its community during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the summer, Frost conducted a survey to determine whether WARF patrons who had stayed at home during the pandemic were planning to return to the facility and, if so, for what types of activities.

“We knew some people had stopped using the facility because of the pandemic, but we didn’t know how many were planning on returning and when and what their interests would be,” said Frost. “By finding out, the town and WARF could prepare for the areas in which there would be higher demand.”

WARF opened in 2007 as a response to the growing recreational needs of its population, according to its website. It is a 59,738-square-foot building featuring an indoor competition pool, a leisure pool and a therapeutic spa. It also has a fitness room and a multipurpose room in which fitness classes are held, along with paved hiking paths, playing fields and an inline skating rink and skate park.

Frost said that about 450 individuals responded to the survey. Of those individuals who responded, about half had stopped using the facility during the pandemic. Frost learned that patrons were planning on returning fairly soon and that they were most interested in lap swimming and walking the paths surrounding the indoor facility.

Frost said he hoped that the survey was helpful for the facility as it allocated its resources and planned for the future. He also learned that about half of the respondents don’t live in Warrenton but, presumably, either work in the town or live nearby or both.

“This was the perfect project for Chris,” said Joel Martin, assistant professor and academic program coordinator for kinesiology in the College of Education and Human Development. “During his time in the military, he saw firsthand the importance of proper exercise on the health and well-being of soldiers serving our country. He knows the role exercise should play in people’s lives.”

Over the summer, Mason graduate student Christopher Frost conducted a survey to determine whether Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility patrons who had stayed at home during the pandemic were planning to return to the facility and, if so, for what types of activities. Photo by Christopher Frost

Frost retired from military service in 2019. An avid photographer, he is now pursuing an undergraduate degree in fine arts at Mason.

“Chris’s findings should help to improve the fitness and recreational offerings of the facility, which is serving the very fast-growing town of Warrenton,” Martin added.

Frost said that the best part of the project was that he got better acquainted with Warrenton.

“I just got to better understand the people in my community and provide them with a service,” said Frost. “I found it very fulfilling.”

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Students

College of Education and Human Development

Recreation and Tourism Management

Veterans

Northern Virginia parks, including aquatics facilities, to be busy this summer, Mason expert says

Colleen Rich — Tue, 04 May 2021 16:07:26 +0000

Northern Virginia parks, including aquatics facilities, to be busy this summer, Mason expert says Colleen Rich Tue, 05/04/2021 - 12:07

Paul Gilbert. Photo provided

Northern Virginia residents can expect robust attendance and a plethora of outside opportunities at local and regional parks this summer, said Paul Gilbert, George Mason �鶹��’s executive-in-residence for the College of Education and Human Development’s Recreation Management Program.

“Just about all the park agencies in the area are planning to have their pools and waterparks open in the summer, and expect high attendance,” said Gilbert, who is also executive director of NOVA Parks. “Last summer, the park pools were mostly closed. This summer, people are going to be interested in returning to normalcy.”

NOVA Parks is busy hiring summer employees, including lifeguards, to get ready. As restrictions ease over the coming months, Gilbert expects even more people will want to take advantage of the variety of activities local and regional parks have to offer.

“Over the pandemic, people were already exploring the outdoors in new ways, because so many other things weren’t available,” said Gilbert. “We saw unprecedented use of hiking and biking trails. Now that people have discovered or rediscovered how fun the outdoors can be, I anticipate they will continue to gravitate to parks.”

Besides hiking, said Gilbert, local parks offer boating, golf, campgrounds, fishing and batting cages, among other activities. Gilbert recommends Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax Station as an excellent place to rent an aluminum boat and fish in a well-stocked reservoir.

“Right now, there’s still some hesitancy to hop on airplanes, so people are looking for vacations that are closer to home,” said Gilbert. “NOVA Parks has great campgrounds at Bull Run and Pohick Bay.”

Gilbert also points out that several parks, including Algonkian Park in Sterling, have housing people can rent on the Potomac River if they want to be outside, but not necessarily camping.

“If you want to enjoy nature, but don’t have all the gear, we have cabins and cottages you can rent,” said Gilbert. “The housing ranges from rustic cabins to full-blown houses.”

In addition, Gilbert says that Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington will be opening a ropes facility in June called Climb UPton.

“There really isn’t anything like it nearby,” said Gilbert. “It will have 90 different features. You can choose your path based on level of difficulty.” Gilbert said the facility will include zip lines and an approximately 50-foot drop for anyone “who wants an adrenaline rush.”

“It’s going to be a great summer,” added Gilbert.

To reach Gilbert, contact him at pgilbert@nvrpa.org.

For more information, contact Anna Stolley Persky at apersky@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

George Mason �鶹�� is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at www2.gmu.edu.