In 2003, SAF’s first ever event was a coursed tasting menu dinner with guest chef / sommelier Stephen Aspirinio, then a student of the Cornell Hotel School, and now a successful media entrepreneur and personality in the food and wine world. Several up-and-coming Cornell Hotel School student chefs followed Stephen to helm the kitchen at 800 University Ave., providing students, faculty, and community members with an authentic fine dining experience, featuring diverse culinary themes.
Today, the program has evolved to feature chefs outside of Cornell, scale to greater audiences, and provide deeper understanding of the cultures behind the cuisines by featuring rich discussions with international guest faculty members.