Food Network star comes to BBC

Allyson Golden/Contributing Writer

On Oct. 24, the University’s Biscayne Bay Campus was overcrowded with various vendors from different companies and a special guest for the BBC Food and Rec Expo.  The big attention of the day was Food Network’s own Chef Robert Irvine from Restaurant Impossible.

Photo by Andres Bedoya

The BBC Food and Rec Expo was held to promote overall fitness, well-being and nutrition amongst the student body with such vendors as Juice Plus, Smoothie King, and Sports Authority.  The vendors gathered in Wolfe Univesity Center’s Panther Square, while the event featuring Chef Irvine took place in the Mary Ann Wolfe Theatre.

The event in front of the bookstore ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and offered a variety of different vendors for students to look at. UniKwax was there to show off their products and to give free facial waxes to any clients who wished to have one.  There were also companies at the Expo that were related to various banks and sporting activities, such as the WAKA Kickball League and Sports Authority.

When asked what brought Juice Plus to the Expo, Cheyenne Chernov, the head of the company replied, “I came last year when you were doing the Health and Wellness Day event and I was invited to come back and I enjoyed the energy and youthfulness of the students here and I have a know that I have a product that I have a product that is important to the health and well being of everybody,”

Smoothie King offered a sample smoothie that consisted of Banana, Papaya, and Strawberry that had a peach color to it and had a sweet and tangy flavor.   “The expo showcased the quality of food and the importance of a healthy life style,” Andrea Moreno, a senior in the Interior Design program.

Towards the end of the Expo portion of the day that featured the vendors, the Mary Ann Wolfe Auditorium opened the doors to the public and at least 3 dozen students and faculty came in to see Irvine show a demo to them, showing them how to make the food, and discussing his previous experiences in the industry.

The demo was free for all who were students and faculty and had already registered online for the event.

Before the demonstration, Irvine revealed the various foods that were being prepared for the day that included Gnocchi with various spices, Pan Fried Chicken, and Endive Cucumber Tomato Salad.

The auditorium consisted of students from the Chaplin School of Hospitality Tourism Management Professor Michael Moran’s cooking class were helping Irvine prepare and serve the foods he demonstrated on stage for those in attendance to view.

The BBC Food and Rec Expo was Chef Irvine’s first trip to the University.