The annual UNAfied Dinner, a showcase of the creative culinary skills of students in the University of North Alabama Jeff Eubanks Culinary Arts Management program, is set for April 27 at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center.

UNAfied Dinner to Benefit Eubanks Endowment Set for April 27

Mar. 22, 2023



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@meili25.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The annual UNAfied Dinner, a showcase of the creative culinary skills of students in the University of North Alabama Jeff Eubanks Culinary Arts Management program, is set for Thursday, April 27 at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center. 

Co-hosted by the Jeff Eubanks Culinary Arts Management program and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa, the event is an opportunity for the community to enjoy the mastery of the students in the program as they work with the chefs from UNA and the Marriott. The event also serves as a fundraiser for the Jeffrey Charles Eubanks Endowment Fund established in February of 2020 at Eubanks’ passing.

“While the UNAfied Dinner is a relatively new event, it has become an important annual tradition for us at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa and for me personally,” said Jason Henderson, Director of Rooms at the Marriott. “Jeff was truly one of my closest friends, and I will never take that for granted. UNAfied is an opportunity for us to remember the life and contributions of our friend and colleague, Jeff Eubanks, as well as to showcase the culinary talents of today’s chefs and those who are training for the future.”

Eubanks was a beloved chef in the Shoals for more than 20 years, including his years as the Executive Chef at the Marriott Shoals. Eubanks was also 1996 graduate of UNA. 

Students in CAM 441-Food Prep 3 are responsible for preparing and creating the menu for the evening. The event is a culmination of students’ four years of work, training, and preparation under the program’s culinarians as well as through experience gained from working in local restaurants.

“This is a student-driven project where students apply the techniques and learning they have gained from your years of culinary arts management classes,” said Chef Einar Gudmundsson, an Assistant Professor in the Culinary Arts Program. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to demonstrate their culinary prowess in a real-life scenario. I am grateful for the partnership with the Marriott Shoals and their understanding of how important our culinary and hospitality programs are and how they positively impact our community and overall culture of service here in Florence.”

 

The UNAfied dinner is set to begin with a cocktail hour and passed hors d’ouevres at 5:30 p.m., with a four-course dinner to follow at 6:15 p.m. Each course will feature the students’ talent, with the help of culinary mentors from UNA and the Marriott Shoals. During the meal, Grammy award winner Yates McKendree will perform. 

Cocktail attire is recommended, and tickets can be purchased at this link.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: meili25.com and meili25.com/unaworks/.