Michigan Hospitality Foundation joins with KitchenAid to help students cook up careers ​

The Michigan Hospitality Foundation (MHF) is excited to announce a three-year agreement with Whirlpool Corporation and their KitchenAid brand to support hospitality education programming throughout the state.

​“This partnership will drive student and educator learning and engagement in the hospitality industry,” said Amanda Smith, executive director of the Michigan Hospitality Foundation. “We’re excited to be working alongside the KitchenAid brand and to support Michigan students interested in pursuing a culinary or hospitality career.”
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The KitchenAid brand officially launched the collaboration during the MHF annual educator professional development workshop hosted on Boyne Mountain on Tuesday, August 8, an event attended by teachers from all over the state. 

As a part of the collaboration, KitchenAid will host teacher webinars and training sessions and will also donate stand mixers and other products to Michigan schools to support programming, education and further instructional workshops. The MHF will get to keep ten KitchenAid stand mixers for future in-person instruction and competitions, and the Foundation plans to supplement the investment by purchasing Pasta Roller & Cutter attachments, which will be distributed alongside the stand mixers to local schools. 

KitchenAid brand will also serve as the Pasta Competition sponsor for the 2024 ProStart Invitational, which brings together teams of ProStart students and schools across the state to showcase their culinary talents. Students will then participate in the 2024 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship event where they will attend the Championship and cook with world-renowned chefs in the KitchenAid activation.

“KitchenAid is pleased to partner with The Michigan Hospitality Foundation to support its effort in fostering the hospitality industry” said Chad Ries, KitchenAid small appliances global brand director. “We hope our partnership further develops the next generation of culinary professionals through hands-on education across the state.”

With the hospitality industry continually expanding and offering new career opportunities, Smith says the partnership will help MHF connect schools and students with important resources. 

“Our industry is growing and evolving rapidly and this partnership, combined with our hands-on programming, are helping to build stronger resources for Michigan schools while also helping them engage with hospitality leaders across the state,” said Smith.

Hospitality is currently an $18 billion dollar industry in Michigan supporting 595,000 jobs. It is also an industry with significant room for growth and ranks among the top 10 fastest growing sectors in the state with 20,000 current job openings.