Bits & Bites to return

Dallas College culinary students will get the opportunity to work alongside professional chefs from across Dallas-Fort Worth in the annual showcase and fundraiser, Bits & Bites.

This year, the event will be held 6-8 p.m. on April 26 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s A Tasteful Place, a frequent spot for Dallas College culinary demonstrations.

Each student volunteer who attends gets to work alongside one of the 34 featured chefs at the event to plate and serve the required 400 portions of the chef’s dish.

Steve DeShazo, former senior director of workforce at Dallas College, is this year’s Bits & Bites honoree. Though he retired in 2025, DeShazo had been involved with El Centro’s culinary program since 2014, initially joining as the director. “He [DeShazo] is the one who made the school what it is now – scholarships, apprenticeships etc.,” said Andrea Saldana, Dallas College alumna and returning Bits & Bites chef.

“It really is the culmination and the greatest honor of my career to be invited,” DeShazo said.

“This is one of the greatest learning experiences for these students, because everything they learn in class gets applied to a real-world event,” DeShazo said. “Part of that experience is applying the skills and actually being in the real world, both applying technical skills, but also workplace skills, emotional health and learning how to network and meet people.”

Saldana said the event also allowed chefs to see how students work outside of an internship role. Some students who worked with Saldana in past Bits & Bites later worked with her at other events.

Bits & Bites has historically featured other Dallas College programs. This year, sonography students will lead live demonstrations. “This event provides a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with the community and basically showcase our field of medical sonography in an interactive and educational way,” said Heather Hobbs, diagnostic medical sonography program director.

Proceeds from Bits & Bites go toward scholarships through the Dallas College Foundation.