In 2012, after seeing many parents and exemplar teachers sharing in the joy of DINE students’ success but not ever being able to personally observe them in their working environment (in corporate members lounges, kitchens or box suites at the stadium), founder Sonia Tiatia asked for extra support from the Westpac Stadium Trust, Epicure and DINE’s Industry network, to create a special event hosted entirely by the DINE students to showcase their corporate culinary and service skills to their families, teachers and potential employers.

 

For most parents who would only drop off and pick up their teenager/student to the stadium for weekend work or meetings, this would be their first time into the gates of the stadium as a visitor, let alone as a corporate guest to a formal five course dinner event in the Deloitte Gallery, so it also gave most of the adults an ‘exciting but out of comfort zone’ experience too. The dinner was a huge success and has now become an annual tradition and highlight to the DINE and Epicure calendar. 

 

In 2016, the proposal to relocate the dinner to a different venue was offered and accepted. 170 parents, teachers, principals, employers, sponsors and host MP Grant Robertson were invited to dine at the Banquet Hall of Parliament buildings. The night was a huge success and DINE Academy was very honoured to be invited to host the dinner at Parliament again in August 2017 and 2018, as well as in Auckland in September 2018 at Eden Park. 

 

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