Grills, Grit & Growth
Bauer Wolffest 2025 Serves Up Good Eats & Lessons in Entrepreneurship
The typically quiet lawn of Butler Plaza was bursting with energy, fueled by sizzling grills and teaming with the unmistakable spirit of entrepreneurship as Wolffest 2025 took over the University of Houston campus last week.
Now in its 13th year, the annual scholarship event brought hands-on business lessons to life. The three-day food festival is entirely student-led and gives students in the C. T. Bauer College of Business Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship the opportunity to put their classroom knowledge to the test in a real-world fundraising competition.
“Every year it gets more and more exciting than the year before,” said Cyvia Wolff, the namesake of the program, which is ranked No.1 in the country by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur. “I love watching the students out here and seeing how hard they work.”
Each team ran their own distinct section of booths on the lawn, showcasing unique food vendors, touting expert branding, handling operations and solving problems in real-time — all while competing to raise the most money for scholarships.
“No matter how much you plan, there are always things you didn’t plan for,” said entrepreneurship student Daniel Sadegi, who served as CEO of team H-Toon. “We had to be very open, very flexible. Thanks to my team, we were able to quickly shift and execute a plan to get back on track.”
But with the challenges came the opportunities to take what they’ve learned at the Wolff Center and apply it to real life problems.
Backyard Wolves CEO Erika Parkinson’s biggest takeaway from class — location.
“We took a gamble when we bid on a top location,” said Parkinson, whose team secured a prime spot in front of the MD Anderson Library. “We paid a lot of money for our plot, but I really think it was worth it. I think we know where the traffic is, and that’s important when running a business.”
The student CEOs agreed that Wolffest brought classroom concepts to life in ways no textbook could.
“There's so many things in the class that that we've learned and are now applying here at Wolffest,” Cougar Dynasty CEO DJ Buenaventura said. “But there's so many things that you can't possibly teach that we’ve just had to learn out here while and encountering problems in real life.”
Cougar Dynasty’s neighboring team, Wolff District, tackled those problems head-on.
“We decided midday, we had to change operationally at the BBQ tent, and then after the event was over at six, we spent two and a half hours moving the tents around to make it more optimal flow,” Wolff District CEO Billy Eaton said.
For others, meticulous planning kept chaos at bay.
“My team and I took a lot of time planning and preparing,” Snack Shack CEO Paulina Gonzalez said. “Our planning allowed us to have everything finished by Saturday night, the team all had off on Sunday and we were ready to roll on Monday. So then when Tuesday rolled around, we weren't running around like some of the others, we didn’t feel stressed, and as a result when people were coming to our tent, they felt very welcome.”
Across the board, the CEOs gave credit where it was due — their teams and their support systems.
“The thing I’m most proud of is my team,” NOSH CEO LeXavier Richey said. “They’ve stayed positive the entire time, showing up with smiles and putting in the work. I’m proud to see how far we’ve come together.”
“From the students who visited our tent to our angel investor, sponsors and vendors — none of this would have been possible without them,” NeoWolff CEO Matteo Sharp said.
As the sun set and the sound of generators faded, one thing was clear: Wolffest 2025 wasn’t just about raising money — it was a high-stakes, high-reward learning experience the students will never forget.
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