Culinary & Food Science Capstone included prize-winning student presentations

On April 29, 2026, seniors in the Culinary & Food Science (CFS) bachelor’s degree program delivered Capstone Project presentations that described future food industry products and what would be required to make these products widely available to consumers. 

Members of the Ohio Valley Institute of Food Technologists (OVIFT) evaluated the student work and awarded prizes for the top three presentations.

• Parker Baumgartner earned the first-place award of $2,000 for his presentation introducing “Buffer Bites,” a shelf-stable Belgian-style waffle snack with a chocolate-marshmallow center that delivers sustained energy through caffeine and creatine.
• Cole Sumner took second place ($1,000). His product idea, “Snow Cat,” is a premium frozen novelty inspired by the Dubai chocolate bar, integrating pistachio custard and coated in dark chocolate with toasted pistachio.
• Rachel Buganski won third place ($500) with her presentation describing “Sweet Stinger Honey Syrup,” a premium, shelf-stable hot honey syrup infused with Valentina hot sauce and a signature blend of Cincinnati-inspired aromatics, including chocolate, cinnamon, and cumin.

CFS Program Chair Grace Yek said the Capstone course is an important milestone for CFS seniors before they enter the food science workforce or move on to graduate school. 

During Spring Semester, each Capstone student completed extensive work on product development and commercialization. Their presentations included distribution of product samples, and responding to questions from the audience of faculty members, industry professionals, CFS alumni, and current students.

“These seniors completed four years of coursework in math, chemistry, culinary arts, and food science,” Yek said. “The Capstone experience allowed the students to apply their cumulative learning across a range of areas, including product formulation, ingredient functionality, food chemistry, food safety, sensory evaluation, food processing, food regulation, and innovation.”

Several CFS alumni, who are now employed in technical and managerial positions at companies including Kroger, JTM Food Group, Mane, Savor Seasonings, and ADM, attended the Capstone event to provide feedback for the presentations and to celebrate with the seniors.

OVIFT awards are new to Cincinnati State CFS

Professor Yek expressed deep appreciation to OVIFT for sponsoring prize money for the top student presentations. 

“Their support recognizes our seniors’ outstanding work and also reinforces the strong connection between our students and the regional food industry,” Yek said.

In the past the Food Technologists organization has donated prize money for student presentations at institutions like Ohio State. This year’s Capstone was the first time the professional organization recognized Cincinnati State’s CFS students. 

OVIFT Board Member Ashley Ramudit said, “It was an honor for our organization to witness the Capstone presentations and contribute prize money to the top presenters. OVIFT recognizes the effort and dedication these students bring to their projects, and all of them should be proud of their work.”

“We look forward to continued engagement with the Cincinnati State CFS program and to seeing the valuable contributions the Cincinnati State graduates will make to our industry,” Ramudit added.

The Capstone course was team-taught by CFS adjunct instructors Leigh Enderle and Karen Dewitt, who are veterans in the region’s food industry. 

Dewitt said, “The Capstone projects successfully blended culinary and food science into real-world products that covered multiple areas of the food industry, as well as beverages and indulgent desserts and syrups. All of the students did well!”

Cole Sumner said he felt “over the moon” to be recognized with an award from OVIFT. 

“It’s a wonderful feeling to know my work over the past four years got me to this incredible point. I feel like I’m prepared and ready to tackle any problem the food industry throws at me. It wasn’t easy, but I had wonderful support from the faculty. As I look to a career, I can say with confidence that I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”

Rachel Buganski said, “It feels incredible to be a part of a community, including OVIFT, that is dedicated and caring about the future of new graduates and the industry as a whole. It makes me feel secure, appreciated, and eager to prove myself, and I hope I can do the same for future CFS students.”

To see more photos of the Capstone event, visit the CFS Instagram page.

(Reporting and photos provided by Grace Yek)