July 23, 2009

“Students Cooking for Smiles,” a dinner and silent auction Saturday, April 21, at California State University, Fresno, will benefit The Smile Train, a nonprofit organization that provides children around the world with surgery to reconstruct cleft lip and palate birth defects.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. in the University Restaurant. It is presented by students from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and the Department of Recreation Administration and Leisure Studies.

Students will plan the event and showcase what they have learned throughout the semester by preparing a seven-course meal using healthy cooking techniques, said Klaus Tenbergen, a food sciences professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

Tenbergen joined the university in the fall to launch a new degree program in Culinology. He is a certified master baker with experience in Germany, South Africa and the United States.

“Every $250 raised will give a child a smile,” Tenbergen said, referring to how much it costs The Smile Train to perform its surgery.

Tickets are $50 each (checks payable to the Fresno State Foundation) and seating is limited to 150. Corporate tables are available upon request. To reserve a seat, call 559.278.2164.