Hospitality students show their skills at SOBE WFF

Photo by Alex Blencowe

Alex Blencowe/Staff Writer

With the sun shining bright, warm sand beneath your feet and the finest breeze Ocean Drive has to offer, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival brought locals, tourists and cuisine connoisseurs together for the Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village this past Saturday.

Although the heat was unbearable, the mint and lime champagne, Indian Pale Ale, fine wines and shaved ices served could quench any thirst.

For first-time attendee Angela Delgado, 45, seeing FIU students at work making delicious chicken and slaw sandwiches and serving the various beers from the Brew Lab was a wonderful experience.

“I’ve only been to two or three tents so far, but it is interesting to see these students passing out the spice rubs and beer,” Delgado said. “The Indian Pale Ale is definitely the best.”

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Photo by Stephanie Mason
Raquel Diaz, junior in hospitality management, cooks up some taro chips behind the scenes of Oyster Bash during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival for Chef Jeremy Seawall to use at his station.

In one tent, Barry Gump, eminent scholar of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, served wines of all kinds while Professor Robert Probst served bread, beer and chicken sandwiches in another.

The chicken was seasoned with senior hospitality management major and international tourism minor, Jenifer Bound’s award-winning “Holy Smokes” Badia dry spice rub.

As Bound passed out samples of her original spice rub, Mohammad Qureshi, associate dean of the Chaplin School, and Hector Morales, executive chef for Badia Spices, spoke to sponsors, participants and friends.

“We try to do things as simply and as [well] as possible, but when you are really organized, that is simplicity at its best,” said Morales.

He said he has seen the festival get better and better in the countless years he has attended.

“This year there were about 38 to 39 different restaurants providing samples so we have students helping the sponsors, fulfilling different positions, providing paper towels, water and other supplies,” Qureshi said.

“There are even students directing people to the different tents,” he said.

First-time attendee at the festival Mo Ghumrawi, a senior international relations major, said getting the opportunity to come was one of the best decisions he’s made, though it was a little overwhelming at first.

“I’m glad I got to come and try a new experience, plus it’s always great to see new things students are doing,” Ghumrawi said. “This is my first time trying the FIU beer and it’s delicious!”

Sponsored by MasterCard, Food Network, KitchenAid, Marriott, Goya and countless others, the Grand Tastings Village featured Castello burgers, Del Monte fruit platters, Anolon cookware and liquor as far as the eye could see.

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Photo by Stephanie Mason
Ming Tsai, a renowned chef and the host of the South Beach Food & Wine Festival’s Oyster Bash, put the finishing touches on his oyster creations for guests to try.

“The festival is a great way to experience Miami and the food scene all at once,” said Wine and Food Festival veteran and University alumni Monique Gonzalez, who studied Mass Communications and Spanish.

“This is the place parents can get away and relax,” her husband, Xavier Gonzalez, said.  “We only wish they’d open the Grand Tasting tents sooner!”

Meanwhile, celebrity chefs Ming Tsai, Emeril Lagasse, Martha Stewart and others performed on stages in other tents outside.

“We put a lot of work into this event,” said Mike Hampton, dean of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“For the people attending it’s all fun and games, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Some students were here since four and five in the morning and will be here until 2 a.m.,” Hampton said.

Ashley Reed and Nicole Dudley, two interns for Southern Wine and Spirits, say that understanding the management side of the festival is the key to its success.

“To see how it’s organized and all the different moving parts coming together is really important,” said Dudley. “It’s definitely a lot smoother than last year’s.”

This year, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival raised nearly two million dollars that will benefit the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The number keeps growing.

“We’ve really stepped up our game,” said Reed.  “Next year, hopefully, we’ll be running the show!”

 

-bbc@fiusm.com

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