CFK blends student cuisine, ceramics and art at fundraiser event

With just 100 seats, The College of the Florida Keys turned the Tennessee Williams Theatre on its Key West Campus into a dinner table, art gallery and fundraiser in one. Culinary & Clay: A Mud Pi Celebration brought together student-crafted cuisine, handmade ceramics, music and a cash bar, giving guests a one-night look at how CFK pairs job training with creative work.

The event featured a tasting of five international dishes prepared by CFK culinary students and served on one-of-a-kind ceramic plates made by members of the Mud-Pi Club. Guests took those plates home as keepsakes after the tasting, making the meal itself part of the student showcase. CFK also used the evening as a sneak preview of the 2026 CFK Spring Art Show, which will feature student work in underwater photography and ceramics.

Artwork from the spring show was set to go on sale beginning April 27 at the Learning Resource Center, extending the fundraiser’s reach beyond the single evening at the theatre. That made the event more than a reception for a campus arts program. It functioned as a public preview of student work, a sales opportunity for artists and a direct fundraiser for the students producing both the food and the clay pieces.

CFK said proceeds from the event and additional sales were set to support the ceramics club and the culinary program. The Mud-Pi Club is a student-based extracurricular organization focused on advancing ceramic arts at CFK and in surrounding communities, with a purpose of expanding awareness of the ceramic arts and supporting personal growth through self-expression in clay. On the culinary side, CFK’s Certificate in Culinary Arts includes baking and pastry skills, knife skills, kitchen procedures and sanitation and safety training.

The college also points to broader support structures for students entering hospitality and food service careers. Its Hospitality and Culinary Game Changer Scholar Program can cover 100% of tuition for eligible students pursuing an associate degree in Culinary Management or Hospitality and Ecotourism Management. CFK also offers community ceramics studio memberships, giving local residents access to studio space, supplies and equipment during designated hours.

A similar Mud-Pi Dinner and Student Art Show was held in 2024, showing the college has turned the pairing of food and ceramics into a recurring tradition. At CFK, the formula is straightforward: student-made meals, student-made art and a fundraiser that keeps both programs in view well after the plates are cleared.