Striving to be one of Tallahassee’s finest dining experiences, the Ashby Stiff Little Dinner Series has been one of the community’s best-kept secrets since 1958. Each semester, students of the Dedman School work side-by-side with instructors to create a series of themed four-course dinners as the focus of their catering management course. Every element – from food to menu to décor – is conceptualized by a group of students tasked with planning and managing their own Little Dinner Series event.
Each dinner takes place on the 5th floor of University Center B.
The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a 30-minute cocktail reception including a signature cocktail and three hors d’oeuvres. At 7:00 p.m., guests are seated for a four-course dinner with two specially paired wines.
Cost of the evening: $45, all inclusive; no tipping.
- March 7, 9, 21, 23, 28, 30
- April 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20
- 6:30 p.m.: 30-minute cocktail reception with specialty drink and three hors d’oeuvres
- 7:00 p.m.: Four course dinner — appetizer, soup or salad, entrée and dessert — with two wine pairings
Make reservations and learn more here. Your reservation(s) for each dinner will be held in your name at the check-in table.
- Location: 5th floor of University Center Club at Florida State University Doak Campbell Stadium, Building B
- Parking: Free for each dinner in the University Center Visitor Lot along Champions Way
- Attire: No jeans. Blazers required for gentlemen and complementary cocktail attire for ladies
- Dietary restrictions: We are happy to accommodate dietary restrictions with advanced notice
- FSU Alcohol Policy: Identification will be requested upon arrival. No person under 21 years of age may consume alcoholic beverages.
- Little Dinner Mailing List Sign-Up: Complete this form to receive notification of each semester's dinner dates!
- Telephone: (850) 645-1950
- Email: LittleDinnerSeries@dedman.fsu.edu
Since 1958, students at the Dedman School of Hospitality have gained valuable experience by applying coursework in food service management to this fine dining series named for the late Ashby Stiff.
Ashby Stiff was a professor at the Dedman School of Hospitality for 44 years. He directed the highly popular Little Dinner Series as a laboratory extension of his classroom for 25 years. Stiff served as food critic of the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper for more than two decades, garnering a loyal readership and local celebrity.
Today, hospitality majors continue to create, manage and implement themed dinners in the Little Dinner Series as part their required senior-year catering management course. Training and working with a professional chef and a front-of-house manager, students spend the semester learning the methods and concepts utilized in the food and beverage industry.
