FIU students create unforgettable moments at South Beach Wine and Food Festival: "Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"
MIAMI — The South Beach Wine and Food Festival has established itself as a premier destination event over its 24-year history, bringing together the world's most renowned chefs, culinary personalities, and top wine and spirits producers.
But beyond the glamour and gastronomy lies a deeper purpose: 100% of the festival's profits benefit Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
The impact has been substantial, according to Dean Michael Cheng.
"Over $40 million," he said. "It all goes towards the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. It's helped students with scholarships. We've been able to build amazing state-of-the-art learning facilities with it too."
The festival serves as a unique educational platform, with more than 1,500 students gaining hands-on experience in event management each year. Inside FIU's hospitality building, students are actively preparing for this year's festivities, which will feature over 105 events.
Samantha Wagner, a second-year graduate student, plays a crucial role as a mentor to recruitment coordinators.
"During the festival, there's over 30 different positions they can choose from," she explained. "Students can learn all different types of things front of house, back of house, if they want to do culinary and work alongside the chefs, they're able to do that as well."
For many students, the festival creates unforgettable moments.
Wagner shared one of her own: "I grew up watching Rachel Ray, and so I remember my first day volunteering at the festival, I was working a burger bash and I handed her a burger and she thanked me and it totally changed my world."
Nicole Penafiel, a senior in the hospitality program, works as a recruiter encouraging other students to participate.
"I want them to get involved and take advantage of this opportunity," she said. "I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The experience proves invaluable for students' future careers.
As Wagner, who plans to enter event planning, puts it: "I know that my experience, no matter where I go, the part the festival has allowed me to learn a lot and so I can take it and go anywhere with it."
Students will cover between 5,000 to 5,200 shifts during the four-day celebration. Despite its massive scale, Cheng emphasizes the festival's unique local character.
"It's no place on the planet. And that's the feel and the vibe of South Beach," he said. "So the moment you come into the South Beach Wine Food Festival, you'll know you're in Miami Beach, South Beach, Florida. It's amazing."
The festival's impact on local education continues to grow, with more than 30 FIU graduates currently employed by the festival itself, demonstrating its lasting influence on the South Florida hospitality industry.
