Genyth Travis Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

�鶹ԭ�� Alum, Entrepreneur Fires up a Pizza Food Truck

Susan Vernon-Devlin — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:10:29 +0000

Three billion. That’s about how many pizzas are sold in the United States every year. This year, �鶹ԭ�� Rosen College of Hospitality Management alumnus Dylan Pittman ’22 plans to serve hundreds of pies through Pizza Pitt Stop, a food truck he recently launched.

Pizza Pitt Stop currently serves customers across Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida. Among its signature offerings is the Talladega, Pittman’s personal favorite, which has a green flag sauce, combining the flavors of Alfredo and pesto with chicken and bacon.

“Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to have my own restaurant,” says 21-year-old Pittman. “It wasn’t until a few years ago that my mind moved from a traditional brick-and-mortar to a food truck. I just saw a lot of fun opportunities for a situation where every day at work was unique and would never get stale.”

To turn his dream into a reality, Pittman earned his bachelor’s in restaurant and foodservice management from �鶹ԭ�� Rosen College of Hospitality Management in May 2022. While at the college, he quickly completed his general education classes to concentrate on his primary goal: learning about the food and beverage industry. He completed his degree in three years.

“My favorite class was Foodservice Operations, where we were in charge of our own pop-up food event on campus for our peers and professors to participate in,” he says. “My group developed a pop-up event entirely based around dumplings, where we would use dumplings as a fun and unique vessel for other foods like chicken parmesan.”

“It was great to be able to talk to someone in the industry that could provide a professional yet personal discussion about the idea of putting together a food truck.” — Dylan Pittman ’22, �鶹ԭ�� alum

It was during that class that Pittman connected with chef Jay Judy, a senior instructor in the Department of Foodservice and Lodging Management. Judy turned out to be a great mentor for Pittman and his pizza food truck business.

“Chef Jay Judy did a great job supporting our ideas and is just a good leader. I was always able to come to him with questions and ideas,” Pittman says. “I took this class in the last semester of my senior year, so I was really starting to make moves with the truck.”

Pittman considered a few different cuisines to build a food truck around, but realized pizza just made sense.

Pittman already had excellent pizza making skills and enough ideas in his head of how to make his food truck dreams a reality.

“After the food was set, I moved onto the name to really nail the type of pizza concept I was going for. I wanted to include my family’s name in the truck, but it was a brainstorming session with my two dorm roommates, Tommy and Tyler, that spawned the name Pizza Pitt Stop.”

In addition to Judy, Pittman also had mentorship guidance through Global Leadership Enhancement and Mentorship (GLEAM), a nonprofit volunteer network providing mentorship and leadership development to communities in need in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Associate Professor Cynthia Mejia was chair of the Department of Foodservice and Lodging Management when Pittman was a mentee in the GLEAM program.

Mejia says students in the GLEAM program identify their “one big thing” they would like to work on under the guidance of an industry mentor. Students spend four months working on their project, and present different aspects of their project to their cohort.

“Dylan’s ‘one big thing’ was to open a food truck. He was really passionate and professional about achieving his goal, and I remember the seriousness with which he approached the weekly task,” Mejia says. “And he did it in real life! I’m so proud of him, and really inspired by him.”

For someone as young as Pittman to achieve his goals as an entrepreneur may seem unusual, however Mejia says she noticed a particular spark in him.

“Being an entrepreneur has a good amount of risk involved. I’m not sure to the extent that most people, let alone recent graduates, have the tolerance for risk,” she says. “When you talk with Dylan, he exudes a quiet confidence, yet an openness to do what needs to be done.”

While Pittman is committed to his pizza food truck, he knows the road will not always be smooth.

“I’ve definitely faced challenges throughout the truck build-out process, and I’m sure there will be more challenges now that the truck is open,” he says. “But I can’t hope to make this a meaningful venture if I’m not prepared to face those challenges head-on. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.”

“My goals for the business now and forever will be to provide a good, quality product with excellent service. Pizza shouldn’t be complicated, and my business won’t be either.” — Dylan Pittman ’22, �鶹ԭ�� alum

Pittman has an encouraging partner in his pizza entrepreneurship business. Emily Davis ’22, who is also a �鶹ԭ�� Rosen College graduate, has been by his side while also managing her own business, Lemonly’s Bakery.

“Ironically, I am actually dairy-free,” says 22-year-old Davis, “but Pizza Pitt Stop has vegan cheese on the menu. My favorite pizza is the Daytona, which is a barbecue brisket pizza. Dylan actually smokes his own brisket.”

Davis’ skills as a baker and digital marketer were noticed by Mejia and other faculty during her time as a student at Rosen College.

“We learned that [Emily] ran a baking business, and this was particularly impressive during the pandemic,” says Mejia. “She has excellent social media and marketing skills and built a following. We found her story uplifting and inspiring, and wanted to share her achievements during the early part of the pandemic to inspire fellow Rosen College students, faculty, and staff.”

Davis plans to use her digital marketing skills to boost Pizza Pitt Stop’s profile, and like Pittman, has a five-year plan.

“I plan to continue helping with the branding, social media and digital media aspects of Pizza Pitt Stop. Also, in five years I hope there are plans to build on what we’ve established. Dylan has some great ideas, and I can’t wait to see what happens,” Davis says.

Genyth Travis, senior assistant director of �鶹ԭ�� Undergraduate Admissions and adjunct instructor for strategies for student success, taught Pittman when he was a freshman. She saw his determination to unleash his potential even then.

“I don’t know how many of our graduates open their own business in less than a year after graduation, but it doesn’t surprise me that Dylan surrounded himself with people and resources to make his dream a reality,” says Travis. “I know he credits the classes and Rosen College for their support in helping him reach his goal, but Dylan worked hard — earning excellent grades and taking advantage of opportunities presented to him while he was a student. I love that Dylan is taking a risk on himself at the start of his career, surrounding himself with a good team to help his food truck be a success.”

STEM Camp Teaches Local Youth Why Hospitality Matters

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:30:15 +0000

On Thursday, July 3, a group of young students participating in the ZORA! STEM Summer Camp visited �鶹ԭ��’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management to learn about career paths in hospitality and tourism, an industry that makes a $54 billion economic impact on Central Florida.

As part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, Discover Tourism, Visit Orlando partnered with the Preserve Eatonville Community to incorporate behind-the-scenes tours at various hospitality venues for the organization’s STEM Summer Camp program. Students visited the Orange County Convention Center to learn more about the meetings aspect of the tourism industry and walked the expansive building floor. Their journey continued at Rosen College where they took part in a hands-on napkin folding activity and food science demonstration.

“These types of programs open youth’s eyes to the variety of careers available in travel and tourism,” said Kristin Rothbauer, community relations manager for Visit Orlando. “The interactive experiences leave lasting impressions and help the students find a potential niche within an industry that they might not have known otherwise. Rosen College is a perfect fit to show the importance of pursuing a degree in hospitality management and how it can lead to future success.”

Although the connection between STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – and hospitality may not seem obvious, these technical disciplines are essential in building and maintaining the facilities where guests stay, dine, relax and create lasting memories.

“…The hospitality industry [includes] theme parks, hotels, restaurants, cruises and event planning,” said Dr. Anne Albright, on-site coordinator for the ZORA! STEM Summer Camp who accompanied the students during their visit. “When we look at these places, we have an opportunity to also consider the STEM professionals who helped build and work in these places [like the] engineers and architects who build these structures, food scientists, etc.”

Rosen College frequently hosts young student groups like the ZORA! STEM Summer Camp to introduce them to hospitality-related careers and encourage them to take positive steps as they continue through school.

“It’s important to get young students excited about hospitality because the career options are abundant in Florida, especially Orlando,” said Genyth Travis, senior assistant director, �鶹ԭ�� Undergraduate Admissions. “It’s our hope that when students visit [our] campus that we’ve encouraged them to get good grades, stay out of trouble, inspired future careers in the hospitality industry and encouraged them to return to �鶹ԭ�� to earn a college degree.”

to view more photos from the ZORA! STEM Summer Camp’s visit to Rosen College.

Showcasing Hospitality to Prospective Students

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:54:15 +0000

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management hosted an Open House for prospective undergraduate students and their families on Friday, Oct. 21

Over 210 guests attended the free event that included tours of the Rosen College campus and apartments. Prospective students benefited from sample classroom lectures, a showcase of student services, admissions and financial aid presentation, and an application and admission question-and-answer session. Lunch was provided in the new Courtyard Café and families took advantage of the opportunity to buy exclusive merchandise from the Rosen College bookstore.

Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Genyth Travis, shares, “Open House is a day dedicated to showcasing the best Rosen College has to offer students that want to study at �鶹ԭ�� and pursue a career in the hospitality industry.” Travis coordinates with various departments to pull off the event and ensure that guests understand what makes Rosen College a great choice. “It’s not just about our Orlando location,” she adds, “but the faculty and staff that are so dedicated to our programs and helping students meet their educational and career goals.”

Rosen College currently instructs 3,000 students, many of whom are pursuing undergraduate degrees in restaurant and foodservice management, event management and hospitality management.

The next open house will be Feb. 10, 2012. To register or for more information, students can visit or call the Rosen College Undergraduate Admissions Office at 407-903-8166.

Fun, Games and $5,000

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:31:38 +0000

L to R: Rosen College’s JoEllen McGee; Paul Constantino; Kathi Harris; Dave & Buster’s President and COO, Dolf A. Berle; Rosen College’s Shara Lee; Scott Mifsud; Lori Ashby; Napoleon Garcia; Genyth Travis.

Dave & Buster’s Orlando donated $5,000 to the Rosen College of Hospitality Management as part of its grand opening in July. The new International Drive location features 40,000 square feet of dining, entertainment and gaming space.

Opening festivities were attended by local government officials, business leaders and tourism representatives.

Dave & Buster’s Orlando general manager Paul Clunan shares, “We are happy to give back to the Central Florida community through these contributions and look forward to growing our local partnerships.”

For more information about the company and its newest location, visit .