By: Jennifer Moreno/Contributing Writer
In celebration of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s 10 year anniversary, Lee Brian Schrager, the festival’s founder and executive director, and Author Julie Mautner will release the first edition of the “Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival” Cookbook.
All proceeds from the book will benefit The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center.
Schrager, who is also the vice president of communication for Southern Wine and Spirits and credited with creating one of Miami’s biggest tourist attractions with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, has decided to contribute all the proceeds from the cookbook to benefit the school of HTM.
“As of now, the proceeds from the cookbook will not come in a separate form, it will be placed into a lump sum for HTM’s school funds. Students will receive the scholarships based on their level of participation in the South Beach Festival,” said Mohammad A. Qureshi, assistant dean of facilities and administration for HTM.
The funds will be used towards the Southern Wine and Teaching restaurant’s expansion and renovation, the Operation of Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center and for student scholarships. Most of the developing plans are complete and renovations will begin no later then the fall of 2011.
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook will feature an array of 100 recipes from the nation’s favorite celebrity chefs and culinary personalities. It will also include an all access behind-the-scenes look at the chefs’ preparation for the festival, interviews, insider stories into the tents, private parties, and the very best events — such as the Rachael’s Burger Bash, the BubbleQ event, and the Grand Tasting Village on the beach.
The cookbook will sell the hardcover for $35 and it can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com, with a Nov. 16 release date.
Professor Michael Moran, who teaches international cuisine and food management courses at HTM and coordinates the BubbleQ, a barbeque and champagne event at the festival each year, has also contributed to the development of the cookbook by testing most of the recipes and providing feedback to the authors.
“I tested all the recipes in a two week span; I believe there were 85 recipes,” Moran said. “My wife also helped me and we went through all the recipes and sent all of that information to the author, with pictures of the items, kind of critiquing the recipes and making sure they were workable.”
The book will consist of recipes, but also a description on how the students at HTM actually prepare the food, work with high profile chefs and how the entire festival comes together, according to Moran.
“A good part of the proceeds will go towards the teaching restaurant,” Moran said. “The kitchens we are using right now, are over 20 years old and are ready for a makeover. We are also going to be building a new dining room, that is a pretty big project.”
Students received over $400,000 from the 2010 festival proceeds and Qureshi anticipates an even higher amount for next year’s festival.
“It is important for our students at FIU to recognize the efforts of Lee Schrager, he added one more thing on top of what the festival does,” Qureshi said.
Lee Schrager’s collaboration with HTM and the festival has helped provide infinite opportunities for HTM students to network and gain experience. The inclusion of the cookbook’s proceeds is an added bonus for the additional funding for HTM’s future projects.
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