News for the Hospitality Executive |
January 2010
- When FIU chef-instructor Michael Moran puts on a party, he
wants only the best at his side. Take the high-profile South
Beach Wine & Food Festival, the wildly popular,
FIU-co-sponsored event that takes place from
Feb. 25-28, 2010. As chef and culinary coordinator he'll rub elbows
with
some of the biggest names in the industry, among them Food Network
chefs Emeril
Lagasse and Bobby Flay. It's his own students, however, that Moran
considers
critical to success.
“It really is about finding a core of people who have this tremendous passion,” Moran says of the hundreds or so undergraduates who sign on for his course in “quantity food production.” In addition to other chores, the students take direct responsibility for getting ready all of the meals consumed during the 2009 Bubble Q BBQl:1800 pounds of pork, 1500 pounds of beef filet, 1000 pounds of chicken, 1200 pounds of fish, 800 pounds of cabbage, and turning out several hundred pounds of nouveau potato salad, cole slaw and other side dishes for arguably the festival's most glamorous attraction: the Friday night, champagne-drenched barbecue for over 3,000. Video: 2009 FIU South Beach Wine & Food Festival It took 3500 man hours to prepare 22,500 portions of food served to 3400 people attending the 2009 Bubble Q BBQ. Ordered were three tons of food for the 25 participating chefs, each preparing 900 portions. The prep work takes place in the Overall, some 850 Hospitality majors—most with excellent internship experience already under their belts—will work in a variety of key capacities both before and during the festival, from fulfilling thousands of ticket orders to meeting and greeting guests at myriad activities throughout the long weekend, among them wine and food seminars and a celebrity golf tournament. For the most part, Chef Moran is educating not just would-be chefs, but the future managers of restaurant groups, hotel chains, cruise lines and related companies—this is a business school, after all. Moran wants to make sure his charges know how to bake chocolate chip cookies, prepare relatively simple dishes like arroz con pollo and, by the end of the semester, quickly build an entire dinner around ingredients he hands them in class. His self-stated goal: “I have to take away the intimidation of the kitchen.” Come festival time, they're usually ready for anything. But it's not just cooking the veteran chef covers. “I'm teaching the whole individual,” explains Moran, who trains students how to work together, respond quickly to commands and generally get comfortable with the frenetic pace often associated with meeting the public's expectations. At the 2009 Festival, students were paired with in a mentorship style the following chefs: John Besh (Restaurant August, New Orleans), Kenny Callaghan (Blue Smoke, NYC), Todd English (Olives, NYC), Roger Herring (Socca/Chicago), Elizabeth Karmel (Hill Country/NYC) Adam Perry Lang (Daisy May’s BBQ, NYC), Emeril Lagasse (Emeril’s/New Orleans), Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro/Ft. Worth), Missy Robbins (A Voce/NYC), Aaron Sanchez (Centrico/NYC), among others. (For a pictoral review of the 2009 Festival please visit: http://www.magicalphotos.com/fiuwithwellknowpeople09highresolution/ ) Chef Moran who has an established relationship with Almost $2 million dollars was raised for FIU School of Hospitality to award student scholarships, and to enhance the experience of students by investing in program, faculty and facility enhancement. With partner Southern Wine & Spirits of “We're part of the community. We want to make the community more successful,” Moran says. “One of the things we can bring to the table is the planning and creation of an environment to have a great time.” Visit hospitality.fiu.edu for additional information. About Florida International University Collaborating with vibrant faculty, exploring a breathtaking array of real-lie opportunities in and outside of the classroom, and living the global experience in a one-of-a-kind metropolis -- this is the Florida International University’s School of Hospitality, home to one of the top six ranked hospitality and tourism programs in the US, as reported by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education. The school offers a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality management. It also offers a Master of Science degree in hospitality management (available on campus and via long distance learning). In addition, the school offers an Executive Master of Science in hospitality management (available via long distance learning), as well as certificate programs in numerous specializations. The school’s building on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus includes state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for product and service development, research and testing facilities, and food management instruction. The 45,000 square foot building houses the school’s administration and faculty, the Hilton Training Kitchen, the practicum dining room, the Angostura Culinary/Lecture/Demo Classroom, the Statler Foundation Distance Learning Classroom, the Herbert W. Joseph Lecture Hall, the Jay W. Weiss Wine & Spirit Lab, the Marriott Executive Seminar E-Studio, the Sheraton Auditorium, and the Carnival Resorts Conference Room. The School is also home to the state-of-the-art Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, a 4,500 square foot facility that features the latest technology for beverage tasting and analysis. For further information, visit hospitality.fiu.edu. |
Media Contact: Lisa B. Palley Palley Promotes 305 642.3132 [email protected] |