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2011 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Raises More than
$2 Million for FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Participating Students Gained Unique Experience and Earned Scholarships
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News for the Hospitality Executive |
| MIAMI
(April 28, 2011) – Florida International University School of
Hospitality and
Tourism Management announced today that the recently concluded 10th
annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, presented by
Food
& Wine, successfully raised more than $2 million for the school. Monies raised will be immediately re-invested in the hospitality industry’s future via student scholarships and other programs to enhance the school’s infrastructure. In addition, the more than 1,000 students who participated also received a once-in-a-lifetime experience by taking their classroom learning into the real world at one of the most internationally-recognized gastronomy events. In addition, the School’s “Students for Social Responsibility Team” carried out important environmental initiatives throughout the Festival that will directly affect the South Florida community. “Our students eagerly dedicated long hours to be able to take part in the 2011 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, demonstrating their staunch commitment towards becoming future stars in the hospitality industry,” said Mike Hampton, dean of Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “These students epitomize FIU’s Worlds Ahead mission of going beyond what is expected, and we are extremely proud of their professionalism and dedication displayed throughout the Festival.”  FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management students and Chef Instructor Roger Probst prepare for Burger Bash In the days leading up to the Festival, more than 100 students helped prepare for the anticipated Amstel Light Burger Bash, presented by Allen Brothers and hosted by Rachael Ray under the leadership and supervision of FIU Chef Instructor Roger Probst. Furthermore, more than 100 students helped organize shipments, prepare food, and assist chefs for the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ, presented by Allen Brothers and hosted by Bobby Flay and Friends, sponsored by Miami magazine, under the leadership and supervision of FIU Chef Instructor Michael Moran. Scholarships were also presented during the multi-day event, including the “Barilla Student Chef of the Year,” which was awarded to FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management senior, Laura Mañón during the Barilla Interactive Lunch hosted by Bryan Voltaggio and Claire Robinson. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Puerto Rico, Mañón is currently pursuing a degree in Hospitality Management, and is a teaching assistant for FIU Chef Instructor Roger Probst. As a teaching assistant, Mañón is in charge of over 120 students in a kitchen setting, enabling her to polish her culinary and management skills. Some of Mañón’s past experience in the hospitality industry includes the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, as well as the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in 2010, where she received the Certified Angus Beef Scholarship and Idaho Potato Commission scholarship awards. Five FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management students also received a total of $2,500 in scholarships from the Certified Angus Beef ® brand and Sysco Specialty Meat Companies. The winners, Eduardo Suarez, Nicole Richaud, Mallory Cayon, Max Albano, and Emilio Collyer received $500 each. Social responsibility was another area of focus of this year’s Festival, with approximately 30 students taking part in the inaugural “Students for Social Responsibility Team.” For 2011, an estimated 30,000 plastic bottles were recycled, 28,000 pounds of food were donated to Miami area food banks through Feeding South Florida, and 1,500 pounds of food scraps were taken for a composting program with Fertile Earth. About Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management: Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is one of the highest rated hospitality and tourism programs in the United States. Each year, over 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States and around the world choose FIU for its outstanding reputation, advantageous campus locations, expert faculty, rich curriculum, and fast-track career advantages in the international hotel, foodservice and tourism industries. In August 2006 FIU unveiled the first US School of Hospitality and Tourism in Tianjin, China. The Marriott Tianjin China Program is FIU’s largest international program, with a capacity for up to 2,000 students. For more information about Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, visit http://hospitality.fiu.edu/. About FIU: Florida International University is one of the 25 largest universities in the nation, with more than 42,000 students. Nearly 130,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. Its colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. The opening of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in August 2009 has enhanced the university’s ability to create lasting positive change in our community. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/. About the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine: All proceeds of the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food &Wine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or call 877-762-3933. For more information about Florida International University visit www.fiu.edu, for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www.southernwine.com. |
| Contact: Rebecca Rakitin M. Silver Associates 954-765-3636 |