Enjoy internationally inspired cuisine, live cooking competitions and an evening supporting the next generation of culinary professionals
Psychology major Emerald Moreno is inspired by a passion for understanding and interpreting others, along with a deep faith that psychology is her calling. She plans to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, minor in Spanish, and continue exploring a future in law.
After a major surgery and months of recovery, Tracey Kushner faced a decision that would reshape her future. In 2024, she returned to San Diego Mesa College determined to finish the degree she had started years earlier.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Mesa College proudly celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during its annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026, honoring 1,958 graduates who earned more than 2,017 academic degrees and 414 certificates. A total of 727 graduates participated in the ceremony, joined by family, friends, faculty, staff, and community supporters.
March 7, 2017
San Diego Mesa College’s Culinary Arts/Management students, faculty and alumni will celebrate their new home in the Culinary Outlook at Mesa Commons with a an exciting fundraiser on Thursday, April 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Taste of Mesa will feature internationally-inspired cuisine and three cook-off competitions between alumni, students and an advanced baking team. Those in attendance will be able to bid on a selection of food-themed silent auction of items such as restaurant gift cards, liquors, wine and culinary tools.
VIP ticketholders will get to judge the culinary competitions, watch a celebrity chef competition, and receive culinary swag along with reserved parking.
“All proceeds benefit the Culinary Arts/Management Program, one of the premier Culinary Arts programs in San Diego County,” said Anne Zacovic, Director of Resource Development for the Mesa Foundation. “Many of the graduates of this rigorous program have gone on to be successful chefs, managers, and caterers.”
Culinary Arts/Management Professor Tonya Whitfield said that funds raised will allow the program to purchase ingredients that can help train students for the farm to table style restaurants that are becoming more common in today’s market.
“The students need to learn what is changing in the industry, and we need to teach them more before they leave,” Whitfield said. “With this fundraiser, we can do more for them.”
The department is starting to gravitate toward the local food movement by incorporating a new rooftop garden that will be folded into the current curriculum once the potting system is completed. Students will tend to the garden as part of their weekly assignments and the produce will be used in dishes in the M Fusion Café and gourmet dining classes.
Tickets for the Taste of Mesa are $25 for students, $50 for the general public and $125 for VIP.
To purchase tickets for the event, visit www.sdmesa.edu/tasteofmesa. For information regarding sponsorship opportunities for the event, contact Anne Zacovic at [email protected] and for information on getting involved as an alumnus from Mesa’s Culinary Arts/Culinary Management program, contact Professor Tonya Whitfield at [email protected].
Tags: Culinary Arts, Taste of Mesa
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
[email protected]
(619) 388-2759
Tonya Whitfield
Professor - Culinary Arts/Culinary Management
[email protected]
Enjoy internationally inspired cuisine, live cooking competitions and an evening supporting the next generation of culinary professionals
San Diego, CA ---- On Thursday, November 2, 2023, San Diego Mesa College will bring back their popular dining event, “Taste of Mesa”. The event is a lively evening modeled after a premier cooking-show style fundraiser benefiting the Culinary Arts Management Program. Guests will get to sample fresh-made cuisine, enjoy competitions featuring local celebrity chefs, and bid on silent auction items. The event starts at 5:15 p.m., with early access for VIP tickets holders. Taste of Mesa features internationally-inspired cuisine and two cook-off competitions between alumni, students and advanced baking teams. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the family-friendly event.
San Diego – Staring this past week, 72 Fifty, the Mesa College on-campus restaurant, began offering their specialty Fall Dinners. This week featured classic French cuisine, including Vichyssoise, crème fraiche, Beef Wellington, and Duck Confit. As one of only a few culinary programs in the nation that operates a classroom-driven restaurant that's open to the public, the Fall Dinners allow Mesa students to gain first-hand experience modeling food preparation techniques, food safety, sanitation, and menu planning while working with modern equipment in newly renovated facilities.
