SOBEWFF brings opportunities for Chaplin students

Written by Camila Fernandez/BBC Managing Editor

With a dash of spice and a spoonful of sugar, a heap of visitors from across the country are expected to be present at this year’s 14th Annual Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a national wine and spirits showcase event.

Hosted by the University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida, the event has helped raise over $20 million for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. The funding supports the School’s recently added Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory, as well as their Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center at FIU.

The event is held from Thursday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 22, during which more than  70 events will be hosted by more than 150 celebrated chefs and 250 global wineries and spirits producers.

“It’s a tremendous convergence of what we do in the festival combining the guest chefs coming from out-of-town [and] the associate support of the Chaplin school,” said Lead Culinary Instructor Michael Moran, who is also known for his efforts with the festival.

According to Moran, SOBEWFF is a great way for Chaplin students to network with leaders in the industry and apply what they learn through internship.

“It gives us an opportunity to take what we do here in the classroom and kind of get together with the industry,” Moran said. “When they come back from the festival after it’s over, they’re so excited that it’s almost hard to keep them in the building.”

He also said it helps students clarify and narrow down their trajectory of where they want to go when they graduate.

For this year’s festival, Moran worked closely with award-winning FIU graduate Eddie Zeng to help coordinate operations for Thursday’s Italian Al Fresco Feast on the Beach event hosted by Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos from Cooking Channel.

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FIU graduate, Eddie Zeng, was declared last year’s winner of the Second Annual-FIU & Badia Spice Competition for his seafood spice creation “Biscayne Bay”. Image by Camila Fernandez/FIUSM Staff

Zeng, who will now participate in his third year at the festival, was declared last year’s winner of the Second Annual-FIU & Badia Spice Competition for his seafood spice creation “Biscayne Bay”.

He was awarded a $5,000 scholarship for his blended spice which includes thyme, kosher salt, celery seed, fennel seed, cumin, paprika, black pepper and smoked paprika. The spice will be sold with a five percent of all global sales to go right back to the Chaplin School’s funding.

“I believe it’s the balance of the spices that makes the difference and the quantities that you put together, and blending the spice. So it’s kind of like chemistry,” said Zeng.

“[SOBEWFF] helps me put my foot in the door into being involved in large scale events, being able to communicate with participating chefs,” Zeng said.

As an undergraduate electrical engineering major, Zeng was heavily involved with the University’s Student Programming Council. This helped him realize his passion for hosting events. At age 15, he worked at a small Chinese restaurant his uncle used to own.

“I got kind of like, in a way, sucked into it without knowing it,” Zeng said.

With his background in engineering and hospitality, Zeng wants to bring together both disciplines through creativity and innovation.

“To me, you know, being an engineer, but also studying hospitality, there’s always that opportunity to be innovative. That is what I would like to achieve — is innovation,” Zeng said. “My brain just goes everywhere.”

Moran believes that Zeng has been a leader in coming up with new ideas for the School.

“We’re really on a very progressive track of constantly trying to do new things and he’s at the forefront of helping us with experiments and coming up with new flavor profiles,” Moran said. “He’s absolutely fantastic and just one of many great students that we have here at FIU.”

camila.fernandez@fiusm.com

About the Author

Camila Fernandez
A FIU School of Journalism and Mass Communications Student - Began working with Student Media in 2013.

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