Media Contact: Cherie Yurco;
CMYurco@DallasCollege.edu
For immediate release — March 18, 2025
(DALLAS) — Dallas College’s annual food and wine festival,
Bits & Bites, returns to the Dallas Arboretum’s A Tasteful Place on Sunday, April 13, 6-8 p.m. The event features students from Dallas College Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality programs working alongside some of Dallas’ top chefs. Together, they will prepare and serve more than 18,000 dishes for guests to enjoy as they stroll through the gardens.
“As one of the nation’s largest colleges, Dallas College leads the way in training students for successful careers in growing fields, including the culinary and hospitality industries," said Josh Skolnick, executive director of Dallas College Foundation. “Bits & Bites is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of our students, alumni and partners in the North Texas culinary scene, while supporting the programs and scholarships that make opportunity accessible for students across Dallas County.”
This year’s entertainment includes music from DJ Randy Senter as well as a “Taste of Fashion,” a preview of
Future of Fashion Design Showcase, an annual event that features designs by Dallas College fashion students. This year’s fashion showcase will take place Thursday, April 24, 7-9 p.m. at Astoria Event Venue in Irving.
Many of the top Dallas chefs participating in this year’s Bits & Bites honed their culinary skills at Dallas College. The
38 chefs represented this year include Jeff Bekavac (Goodwins), Dunia Terselich-Borga (La Duni Baking Studio), Aaron Collins (Café Momentum), Mario Hernandez (Nuri Steakhouse), Mike Matis (Fearing’s Restaurant), Steffen Perico (Uchiko), Nikky Phinyawatana (Asian Mint), Jeramie Robison (Catbird at the Thompson Hotel), Stan Rodrigues (Cane Rosso, Zoli’s, Thunderbird Pies) and Nick Walker (Whiskey Cake).
This year’s honoree is
Randy DeWitt, founder and chairman of FB Society, a Dallas-based restaurant incubator and operator. DeWitt helped launch over 20 transformative brands, including Velvet Taco, Ojos Locos Sports Cantina, Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, Mexican Sugar, Ida Claire, Son of a Butcher, Haywire and Rockfish Seafood Grill.
“Every year, Bits & Bites keeps getting better!” said Steve DeShazo, Dallas College senior director of workforce initiatives. “We are grateful for all our industry partnerships and the opportunity to lift up the great work our faculty does with students to find great career pathways in the culinary industry.”
Proceeds from ticket sales help fund scholarships and programming, opening paths to opportunity for Dallas College students. General admission tickets are $95, while VIP tickets, which include Patron and Partner admissions, allow early entry at 5:15 p.m., VIP parking, a champagne reception with DeWitt and a special VIP thank you gift.
Purchase regular and VIP tickets for Bits & Bites on our registration site.
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About Dallas College
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, Dallas College consists of seven campuses — Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland — plus a dozen centers located throughout Dallas County. As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., Dallas College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 127,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually. Students benefit from partnerships with local school districts, four-year universities, industry and community leaders. Dallas College offers associate degree and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor’s degrees in education, nursing and software development. As the largest provider of dual credit in Texas, Dallas College serves 30,000 high school students through 63 dual credit programs.
About Dallas College Foundation
Dallas College Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 that advances economic mobility for students by channeling the power of philanthropy to lift Dallas College to new heights of innovation, equity and excellence. Since its creation in 1973, the foundation has raised more than $133 million in private donations and distributed more than $71 million in scholarships and grants to support thousands of students at Dallas College.