Event-Star Advice
The “go-to” planner for powerhouse events for Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and the inauguration of President Barack Obama was on the Providence Campus in April as the 53rd Distinguished Visiting Professor for The Hospitality College.

Rhode Island native Bryan Rafanelli, founder, president and CEO of Rafanelli Events, advised sports/entertainment/event management students not to wait for success to come to them. Reflecting on his own experience and nerve, he urged them to be aggressive about pursuing career options. Several immediately asked about internships within his firm. By the planner’s “we’ll-see” grin, the competition is on.

Rafanelli gained national attention for creating Chelsea Clinton’s “wedding of the decade.” In addition to its Boston headquarters, his firm now has offices in Palm Beach, Washington, DC  and New York City.

Sophomore Victoria Ayers was the recipient of the DVP Scholarship. — Miriam Weinstein ’08 MBA

‘X Factor’ Takes the Cake
When Providence became the only Northeast city in the US to host the Fox television hit “The X Factor,” the university was invited to take part by designing a cake sculpture that definitely had the “X” factor.

Positioned on a 48-inch-square platform resembling the stage floor, the 28-inch-high cake was a stack of seven rounds gradually rising in steps from an 18-inch base to a 4-inch top tier. Each was frosted in white fondant based with alternating ribbons of black and red. Fondant silhouettes of anxious auditioners were posed on the sides and surrounding “stage” along with handsculpted figures resembling stars of the popular music competition. The “X Factor” logo emblazoned the center.

The design team — under the direction of Steven Sandblom, director of campus dining — included 13 chefs led by JWU executive pastry chef Jennifer Schouppe ’01. The project took 80 hours from concept to final decoration. The show’s crew filmed portions of the behind-the-scenes activity at Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence. An estimated 25,000 people travelled to the city’s Dunkin’ Donuts Center to try out for the talent competition which began airing in September. — M.W.