The McCombs Culinary Collective

Purpose and Objective

The purpose of the McCombs Culinary Collective is to provide organized communal opportunities for MBA students who share a passion for culinary experiences and Houston food culture. Given the importance of collaborating and networking around a table in the business world, the Culinary Collective will also serve as a platform for students to increase their professional network and strengthen friendships developed through McCombs. The Collective is envisioned as an open, inclusive community built in public.

The Collective will additionally serve as a platform for students to:

• Build deeper relationships across cohorts and concentrations
• Explore and appreciate Houston's diverse food scene together
• Develop cultural awareness through local culinary experiences
• Create informal networking opportunities outside the classroom

Definition of Success

Success for this organization will be measured by both percentage of attendance from the class and frequency of visits. We aim to start with minimum of one outing per semester with a minimum of 25% attendance from our class starting in Spring 2026.

Leadership Meeting Expectations

The primary officers will meet once a month on a class weekend. The program already has 30 minutes allocated for lunch, so we will utilize the time to sit down and discuss operations. If we cannot find time that month to be in-person, the officers will arrange a virtual Zoom meeting. The meeting will be closed and only open to the organization's officers. Expectations for notetaking will rotate amongst all the officers, and we will keep a centralized ledger in the form of a notes sheet on the University OneDrive.

Organization-Wide Meeting Expectations

As noted in the charter's definition of success, the Collective will plan a minimum of one organization-wide meeting/outing.

Conflict Resolution

We have a high degree of confidence we can resolve conflicts amongst the members. If we need external counsel, we will ask the Program Management office for advice or our faculty sponsor for advice.

Behavioral Expectations

The Collective's officers and members will participate in a high degree of leadership and professionalism that is expected from the University of Texas. Each officer will be held as a community leader who is responsible for fostering positive interactions within the UT MBA alumni and present community.

Faculty Sponsorship

The organization officers will work semi-annually with a faculty sponsor. The faculty sponsor will be an integral part of the Collective's DNA. In the McCombs community, admissions, faculty, and students are vital to a strong MBA experience.

The faculty sponsorship improves the opportunity to connect with professors outside of the international residency. This allows the community to learn from and speak with faculty in a less structured environment, integrating their presence for deeper participation with students. Think of the " Slughorn Club " from Harry Potter as an example. The commitment from the faculty sponsor will include one meeting per semester and collaborating with the Culinary Collective to decide on location of the event.