South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) was one of several Washington community colleges to cater the highly anticipated Governor’s Inaugural Ball, held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Washington State Capitol Building. This marked the return of the Ball after an eight-year hiatus due to the pandemic, with the last being held in 2017.
Twenty-four people from SPSCC’s Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry Arts, and Craft Brewing & Distilling teams presented an exquisite array of dishes, desserts, and beverages for the Ball’s 3,000 guests. Guests enjoyed SPSCC’s Crispy Kraken wonton, Steelhead Candy skewers, and Micro Dungeness Crab Roll, plus handmade chocolates crafted by SPSCC’s Baking & Pastry Arts program.
Percival Creek, the local brand and tasting room collaborating with SPSCC’s Craft Brewing & Distilling program, served a specialty menu featuring Bohemian Pilsner, Hazy Pale Ale, and two variations of West Coast IPAs. They also served signature cocktails including the citrus-forward Gin-Rita, the sweet and spicy Percival Storm, and the vibrant Black Raspberry. In the adjacent Speakeasy, Percival Creek’s Blueberry Lemon Cider was on tap.
SPSCC also showcased its Art program with a sculptural piece by student Austin Harris from Professor Joe Batt’s ART 155 Beginning Sculpture class. Titled “Alyssa,” this ceramic bust, inspired by Austin’s friend with the same name, featured a copper blue stain and Corrina blue glaze.
The college would like to acknowledge the students, staff, and faculty from our Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry Arts, and Craft Brewing & Distilling programs working this celebratory event: Chef JP Downey-McCarthy, Chef Emily Wallace, Chef Melanie Shelton, Jordan Marsicek, Miriam Xiomara Padilla, Ivan Flores-Zagal, Alexandria Hurley, Matthew Stone, Sophie Miller, David Scott Braden Jr., Kyle Reed, Guadalupe Pizana-Ramirez, Christal Bonilla, Caleb Wagner, Ricky Zapata-Flores, Shannon Chancellor, Gladys Baeza, Sarah Lee, Chris Patrick, Arron McGinnis, Parker Brophy, Marc Kirchmeier, Scott Carroll, and Jason Selwitz.