The Hotel at Kirkwood Center New Management Team Line Up

The Hotel at Kirkwood Center New Management Team Line Up
Longtime Executive Chef Melanie Ewalt will soon assume new duties as The Hotel at Kirkwood Center's Director of Food and Beverage.

Ewalt has been a mainstay in Kirkwood's Culinary Arts programs for eight years, serving as faculty and manager of The Class Act prior to its move to The Hotel. "Chef Ewalt has helped craft Kirkwood's outstanding Culinary Arts program into what it is today, and was our obvious choice forExecutive Chef when The Hotel opened," said Lee Belfield, The Hotel's general manager. "Now she's once again the choice to lead all food and beverage decisions and manage the entire team."

Chef Justin Billings will assume Ewalt's duties as Executive Chef at The Hotel. Originally from Delhi, Iowa, Billings is a Kirkwood Culinary Arts graduate and spent nine years with the Marriott franchise.

The Hotel/Class Act's professional staff assumed operations at Kirkwood's main campus student cafeteria, called Sammy's Café, June 11. As part of the managerial shift, Kyle Davis, formerly Lead Cook-Banquets, was promoted to General Manager of Sammy's Café. He will oversee purchasing, menu selection and hourly staff.

Mary VanHouten recently accepted the position of Banquet Manager for The Hotel. VanHouten supervises students and professional banquet staff as they plan and prepare large-scale meals for parties, conferences, weddings and other social events.

Jodie Power, formerly the Front Desk Supervisor, was promoted to Small Meetings Coordinator. She will assist the Sales and Marketing team with coordination of all conference and social events.