There’s no better example of learning by doing than what 33 students in the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management got to experience at the 2026 Hospitality Gala held the evening of Thursday, April 23 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.
An upscale evening was brought to life and made possible by these hospitality management students that made up the 2026 planning committee. New for 2026 was the participation of students across all options in the school — event management, hotel and restaurant management and culinary science — who were engaged from start to finish when it came to planning, organizing and executing the staging of the Hospitality Gala.
“The Hospitality Gala teaches you a lot about preparation and how to collaborate with a team because no matter what option you choose in hospitality management you are always with a team.”
Sydney Clement, a junior in hospitality management concentrating on hotel and restaurant management, spoke of the collaboration it took from all to pull off a successful, large-scale event.
Stacy Brown, a 1999 Auburn alumna, founder of Chicken Salad Chick and co-owner of Botanic, was awarded the 2026 Horst Schulze Award for Excellence in Hospitality.
“The Hospitality Gala teaches you a lot about preparation and how to collaborate with a team because no matter what option you choose in hospitality management you are always with a team,” said Clement. “So, learning how to effectively communicate your ideas, while also valuing other people’s opinions and ideas, and take all those things and make one big collective decision is a big thing. I think everything interconnects. If you own a hotel one day, you are going to have events and a culinary side to things so all of us working together is a really good learning opportunity.”
Honoring an icon in the field of hospitality, the evening was centered around Stacy Brown, a 1999 Auburn alumna, founder of Chicken Salad Chick and co-owner of Botanic, who was awarded the 2026 Horst Schulze Award for Excellence in Hospitality.
Hundreds of guests celebrated the honoring of Brown with exquisite food and beverage pairings from distinguished chefs and a curated selection of world-class wines, spirits and craft beverages — all while helping raise funds for the hospitality management program through ticket sales, silent and live auctions and generous donations.
Brown launched Chicken Salad Chick as a door-to-door operation in 2007 and opened its first restaurant in 2008 with her late husband, Kevin Brown. Today, she remains an owner and board member as the brand has grown to more than 330 restaurants across 22 states, earning recognition on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list and in national industry reports.
In Brown’s latest career venture, she and her husband, King Braswell ’91, opened Botanic in Opelika in 2022, blending cuisine, design, art and horticulture into a unique hospitality destination. She is passionate about building strong teams, mentoring students and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“To the students in this room, thank you for this beautiful evening and thank you for choosing a career that enhances and enriches all of our lives.”
Accepting her 2026 Horst Schulze Award for Excellence in Hospitality with great sincerity, Brown’s award acceptance speech perfectly blended the story of her background, her rise and successful career in hospitality and thanking her biggest supporters all while mixing in humor along the way.
“I thank God for this calling to serve, and I’ve been blessed beyond measure with the people in my life and a soul fulfilling purpose,” said Brown. “What you give tonight is going to help these young men and women in hospitality management attain a degree from Auburn University in order to give their lives to serve others. To the students in this room, thank you for this beautiful evening and thank you for choosing a career that enhances and enriches all of our lives.”
One of those students who will work to enrich other’s lives with her culinary skills after graduation is Paige Rohman, a senior in hospitality management concentrating on culinary science, who was paired with Owner and Executive Chef of Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant, Bottega Café and Chez Fon Fon Frank Stitt.
One of the other unique aspects of this year’s Gala included four Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management student chefs who had the rare opportunity to each be paired with an executive and award-winning chef in the industry.
Rohman and Stitt worked together to make a smoked salmon tartine with sourdough, gribiche, farm egg, pickled pearl onion and dill for guests to enjoy at the reception.
“It’s been a wonderful experience being here all day today and yesterday prepping and I’ve learned a lot,” said Rohman. “I learned about different sauces that I was unfamiliar with and different techniques that I get to carry on in my future. It’s been really helpful to get a well-rounded view of the industry, especially with all of our classes. We’re looking specifically at certain techniques or certain dishes and we’re looking at the big picture of what it’s like to work in a restaurant. Especially today, it’s such a big event and I’ve never worked a true catering experience so it was interesting to learn and talk to Chef Stitt on all the places he’s worked and how that could influence my future.”
The other featured chefs at the 2026 Hospitality Gala included Executive Chef with the Waldorf Astoria in Osaka, Japan Chef Andrew Litherland, Chef and CEO of Rocket Farm Restaurants Ford Fry and Owner and Head Chef of Helen and Bayonet Rob McDaniel.
Megan Voigt, a junior in hospitality management concentrating on event management, helped work the silent auction and assisted with aspects of design including the florals in the time leading up to the Gala.
“We hear all about the Gala in the years leading up to it before we get to participate so getting to see it all come together has been the coolest part,” said Voigt. “Just seeing everyone’s faces walking in and their excitement is what I look forward to the most the night of the Gala and just being in the great vibe of the room.”
Assisting the students along the way was Laura Miller, lecturer in the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management who also led the planning committee class. Voigt spoke highly of Miller’s leadership as she brought more than 25 years of experience as a corporate event professional to help mentor the students.
“Laura’s been amazing and so helpful in helping us from day one saying, ‘This is your event, you go be creative and I’m here to help coordinate and logistically help’ so she’s been great helping us execute this. I’ve realized the importance of communicating and building relationships.”
"Guiding these students as they planned the Gala showed me, every single day, how powerful experiential learning can be,” said Miller. “The Hospitality Gala is a living classroom, and our students rose to the challenge with remarkable poise and purpose. Their work reflects the very best of our program: collaboration across disciplines, a commitment to service and a belief that hospitality has the power to enrich lives. I couldn’t be prouder of what they accomplished."
“For our students, Stacy’s story is a masterclass in the fact that success starts with people and purpose.”
While the Gala only lasts a few hours on one night in the spring, College of Human Sciences students will move forward with life skills they can use well beyond their time at Auburn.
“For our students, Stacy’s story is a masterclass in the fact that success starts with people and purpose,” said Head of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management Dr. Martin O’Neill. “Her journey shows how resilience, creativity and a deep understanding of the human connection sets her apart and transformed a simple idea into an enduring enterprise. Meaningful success in hospitality comes from serving others well; while staying grounded in one’s values.”
For more information on the Hospitality Gala, click below.
HOSPITALITY GALA
