When Executive Chef John Deflieze arrived at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics in 2017, he had two goals in mind. The first was to continue in the tradition of educating UD hospitality business management students on the finer points of delivering excellent service through Vita Nova, UD’s student-operated and managed restaurant.
The second was to “form a student club that not only gave back to the community, but also taught club members skills.” Deflieze participated in a similar program for the Ronald McDonald House during his time at Le Cordon Bleu in Arizona.
Deflieze has since delivered on both goals: Vita Nova continues to be a standout feature of UD and achieve high ratings on OpenTable, and this spring semester, Deflieze helped form All You Knead is Love, one of UD’s newest and sweetest student organizations.
The group of 25 members is mainly comprised of students in the Department of Hospitality Business Management (HSBM). They plan to meet throughout the year to produce baked goods such as chocolates. The items they create will be sold twice a year through Vita Nova and other locations across campus. All proceeds from the sales benefit the A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital.
“It’s a fun process that everyone gets involved and creates a nice community of students,” said Deflieze, who also serves as the club advisor. “Students learn how to make chocolates as part the HSBM curriculum, and I wanted to them to see how they could use those skills to benefit others. To date, we have raised $1,400 for A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital.”
All club members make the baked goods. Bake sales typically take place around holidays. In late March, the group finished making chocolates in Vita Nova’s newly renovated demonstration kitchen in time to sell for Mother’s Day.
“Being a survivor of childhood cancer along with being an individual with a strong passion for baking, this club spoke to me and I was honored by the opportunity to start it,” said All You Knead Is Love Club President Evan Greif, a hotel, restaurant and institutional management major. “The club ultimately came about when we started talking to people about it and gauging interest. Before we knew it, we had almost 15-20 people ready to sign up and get involved.”
All You Knead is Love’s Mother’s Day chocolates will go on sale during the week of May 6 in Vita Nova during business hours and on May 8 in the Trabant Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The chocolates are $10 per box.