By Vivien (Visa) Hughston, Nursing Student at Sonoma State University (Expected Graduation 2025)

(San Francisco – California) – Cioppino is a community fundraiser event for the Salesian Boys’ and Girls’ Club that happens every year at The Club. It started out as a night or two in the month of January that had a capacity of 200 each night. Since then, it has grown tremendously. Specifically to four separate nights throughout the months of January and February, totaling an astounding 600 plus people a night. Each Cioppino night consists of a five-course meal including cold cuts (salami and mortadella), caesar salad, bolognese pasta, red hot Cioppino crab, white garlic marinated crab, and ice cream for dessert, cocktail bar followed by dancing. A five-course meal for over 600 people served in roughly 90 minutes.

There are many volunteers that are involved in making these nights possible, such as the morning and evening crew for crab, cold cut crew, servers, the kitchen staff, and the Leadership Team who are Randy, Sherri, Cara, Bridget, and Quintin. The hardworking servers are the ones that carry the food to the leads, bus their tables, wait on tables to get guests what they want and need, clean up, and throw away the trash at the end of the night. The lead server is the person who puts the food on each table during the five courses. This was always done by Russ Gumina and then the leadership team for many years. They instruct the servers on where the food should go next to make sure that no table is skipped and give directions throughout the whole night so everything runs smoothly.

I worked my first Cioppino when I was 13 years old, which was my 8th-grade year, and I was a server. After that night, I couldn’t wait for the next time I could serve at the next Cioppino. Now, I’m 21 years old and a junior at Sonoma State University and I still always look forward to helping in every capacity at the next Cioppino. Even though nights can be chaotic in the kitchen with people running around, we always find a way to make the night fun for our servers and staff, as well as for the guests who come to the event. This event really does bring the community together for not only the guests, but also for the workers and volunteers for Cioppino. Some of the people who serve at the event are people I see once a year, and we always make the most of the night. We look forward to seeing each other and having fun. These events take a lot of work, and the guests recognize all the hard work we put into the event as servers and attendees sometimes give us tips. While it is always nice to be recognized for my tireless efforts throughout the night, the money doesn’t equate to the amount of work that’s involved to make the event operate well. Frankly, getting tipped out is not my driving factor throughout the night.I’m determined to make the night run with ease in the cafeteria work area and on the floor for all the workers and guests to have a great night.

Throughout the years of working Cioppino, I have really grown as a person and as a leader. In the last three years, I came into the lead server role, which is normally a person on the Leadership Team. It has helped me expand my social skills, take a higher responsibility, and be a leading example to the young servers. In this role, I have to talk to older adults in a polite manner while keeping them engaged and knowledgeable of what is to come. Through this role, I’ve made connections with guests who come regularly to the event because of how well I’ve been able to communicate with them and create a positive and fun environment for them throughout the night. I’ve also had the opportunity to show my leadership and communication skills to my former teachers, family friends, and people who have known me since I was a kid. Having my family friends say that they’ve seen so much growth and maturity from when I was a server to a lead server has made me reflect on all the hard work I’ve put in over the years and makes me proud that my abilities have such a positive effect on others.

This past year, the last two Cioppino nights, I was given a higher role. I became the main leader of contact for Cioppino service and had to oversee the flow of the night and everyone involved in running the service. At first, I was hesitant about being this person for the event because I didn’t think I was capable of being the main source of contact. I reflected on my past mentors who have shaped the way I ran Cioppino, such as Sherri and Katie McDonald. They both taught me that this event is all about timing and counts of items. If you have the timing and count right, nothing should go wrong, and the night should flow. It was almost like a “rite of passage” type of thing, to be the main leader of Cioppino and not be a part of the Leadership Team at The Club. Being the main person at such a young age was intimidating because my fellow peers and servers were not much younger than I am, but I was given this role for a reason. The Leadership Team saw my development of becoming a leader throughout the years and felt that I had the potential to run these nights. In this role, it was my turn to be a mentor to my servers and help their abilities grow, just like others have done for me. I became the epitome of what hard work and determination can look like when you have years of service, starting as a server and
making your way up the ranks. It’s only spring, and I’m already thinking about next year’s Cioppinos. Maybe I will see you there!