Heather Kolakowski

Biography

Heather Kolakowski is a senior lecturer in food and beverage management at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. She teaches several food and beverage courses, including Restaurant Management and Nonprofit Social Enterprise & Food Justice. She is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell, the student-run hospitality showcase conference which allows students the opportunity to put theory into practice while taking on leadership responsibilities each spring.

She is the recipient of the 2017 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship for her dedication to service learning. She also serves as executive director for the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, the first academic institute to combine hospitality, environmental design, and health policy and management into a broad-based platform to improve service in healthcare, wellness, and senior living.

Kolakowski has also taught at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she offered courses in Beverage Operations Management, Spirits and Principles of Mixology, Advanced Principles of Service in Hospitality Management, Introductory Table Service (in the dining room of St. Andrew’s Café), and Formal Hospitality and Service Management (in the American Bounty Restaurant on the CIA campus). These front-of-the-house classes review the principles of fine service and hospitality in a restaurant setting, emphasizing customer service, beverages including wine and spirits, restaurant trends, and sales. In addition to her service classes, she has also taught the elective Women in Leadership.

A 2000 graduate of the Nolan School and a 2002 graduate of the CIA, Kolakowski returned to her culinary alma mater in 2008 after serving as food and beverage manager for the Four Seasons Hotel Company in Washington, DC, and Jackson Hole, WY. Her additional professional experience includes assistant manager for the Peninsula Grille in Warrington, PA, and teaching assistant at both the CIA and Cornell University.

Awarded an MBA at SUNY Empire State College in 2013, Kolakowski is also a member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the United States Bartender’s Guild Association, and the Cornell Hotel Society. Kolakowski is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and certified TIPS responsible alcohol service instructor.

Education

MBA SUNY Empire State College, 2014
AOS Culinary Institute Of America, 2002
BS Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, 2000

Research

• Kolakowski, Heather; Shepley, Mardelle; Ziebarth, Nicolas. "Transforming Our Lives Through Covid-19's Lessons"Healthy Futures. Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures. 6.2 (2021): 13pp
• McCuskey, Mardelle; Kolakowski, Heather; Ziebarth, Nicholas; Valenzuela-Mendoza, Ellie. "How COVID-19 Will Change Health, Hospitality and Senior Facility Design"Frontiers in Built Environment. 7 (2021)
• Kolakowski, Heather; Gaulke, Christopher. "The Benefits and Challenges of Food Service Composting Programs"Hotel Business Review. Hotel Executive. (2016)
• Gaulke, Christopher; Kolakowski, Heather. "The Local Challenge Balancing Customer Demand and Local Sources"Hotel Business Review. Hotel Executive. (2015)
• Eichelberger, Ezra; Kolakowski, Heather; Fischer, John. Remarkable Service. Wiley. 3rd edition (2014)

Awards

• Ted Teng ’79 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award (2022) Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration