Hospitality students get hands-on experience
A team of nearly 1,000 students from Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management put their classroom knowledge to use at the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival, presented by Food and Wine magazine, Feb. 24-27.
FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management students and Chef Instructor Michael Moran assist celebrity guest Chef Al Roker at BubbleQ.
Students chosen for the experience trained with two chefs and Adjunct Instructor for Event Management Susan Gladstone, activation director for the festival, and served in human resources management, sponsorship activation, operations and logistics, marketing and public relations, or coordination of an auction or Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. They assisted celebrity chefs like Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Martha Stewart at the event and logged more than 30,000 hours combined during preparation for and during the four-day event,
In its 10th year, the festival benefits FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center. It has raised more than $12 million for the school, and each student receives a scholarship according to how much money is raised and the amount of hours they participated.
