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Transcript of FIU MAGAZINE Spring 2012
Alumni in CAliforniA
SPRING 2012 VOLUME 24
M a G a z I N E
Wine Country
Yasko Cadby ’86 of Opus OneCeleste Carducci ’77 Offers the
Perfect Blend for Napa Visitors
Chaplin School Positions Itself as Food and Beverage Science Epicenter
Winemaker Jeff Cohn ’84 EarnsHigh Marks For His Big Personality Wines
The Eco-Friendly Philosophyof Honig Vineyard & Winery
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36
12
46
II | SPRING 2012
SPRING 2012 VOLUME 24
M a G a z I N E
Press Play
You’ll see this icon throughout the magazine, directing you to videos we’ve created with the stories. With this issue you can learn about winemaking from Jeff Cohn, take a tour of Celeste Carducci’s Napa B &B, hear from successful software entrepreneur Doug Gallagher and much more.
You can also scan this code with your smart phone to find all the videos on our Worlds Ahead website.
GO.FIU.EDU/WINESTORIES
SPRING 2012 | 1
26 On The Cover: a Singular Pursuit of Excellence Yasko Cadby ’86 is the Japan and South
Korea export manager for Opus One, the prestigious Napa Valley winery created by two icons of the wine industry: Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Photo by Eric Risberg.
10 Going, Going…strong as director of auctions and acquisitions
for WineGavel, Gence alton ’02 has an appreciation for both the taste and the history of wine.
18 Play On & Drink Up Lisa Mattson ’97 found her dream job at
Jordan Vineyard and Winery.
20 The adventures of Fahmie & Faulk Michael Fahmie ’02 and Michael Faulk ’05
add to the charm of Bodega, a picturesque town along California’s Pacific coast.
24 a Chat with Doug Gallagher The software businessman turned winery owner talks wine, politics and business.
28 How to B the Best Duffy Keys ’75 puts a modern twist on
French traditional winemaking at B Cellars.
40 The Connoisseur Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management Professor Patrick “Chip” Cassidy ’75 is a legend in and out of the classroom.
42 The Perfect Pairing azul Sommelier Cynthia Betancourt ’06 shares her favorite food and wine
combinations.
Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00 captured this sunset image of B Cellars on the evening that owner Duffy Keys hosted an FIU Alumni Association soiree at the Calistoga winery.
I’m delighted to present this special issue of
FIU Magazine. We conceived a wine country
theme around last year’s inaugural Alumni
Association Wine Country Weekend. We
discovered there are graduates of FIU’s Chaplin
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
in high-profile positions throughout California’s
wine country. Among them: winery owners,
a winemaker, the owner of an historic Napa
B&B and a rare wines auctioneer. We have
business and journalism graduates working in
the wine industry as well. Some of our alumni in
California were already friends, but many were
unaware of the fellow Panthers right down the road. Stop in and say hello to
them on your next visit to California’s wine region.
I traveled with FIU Marketing and New
Media Director Eduardo Merille ’97,
MBA ’00 to Napa and Sonoma counties
to interview, photograph and video
these graduates. It was a real treat
to spend time with each of them and
learn about the hard work and vision
that has gone into their success.
You’ll find their stories throughout the
issue, along with links to their videos.
We’ve included stories on the School
of Hospitality and a few guides for
experienced and new wine lovers. I
hope you will enjoy this issue as much
as we enjoyed putting it together.
Finally, some good news: FIU Magazine has won its first writing award. Our
Fall 2011 cover story, “Bragging Rights & Basic Truths,” captured a Feature
Story/General News Award of Excellence from the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education. Congratulations to the entire magazine team!
Cheers!
Deborah O’Neil MA ’09
from the editor
FIU Magazine editorial advisory Board
Lourdes Balepogi ’00 President of Chispa marketing
fred Blevens honors College fellow and Professor School of Journalism and mass Communication
Gisela Casines Associate dean College of Arts and Sciences
Carol damian Professor of Art history director and Chief Curator frost Art museum
Paul dodson Assistant Athletic director for media relations
Stephen fain Professor emeritus College of education
Susan Jay director of development College of engineering and Computing
Nicole Kaufman mS ’06 director of Corporate & foundation relations division of University Advancement
Larry Lunsford Associate Vice President for Student Affairs University ombudsman
maureen Pelham director of Clinical trials division of research
rafael Paz, esq. Associate General Counsel
heather radi-Bermudez ’06 marketing Coordinator School of Journalism and mass Communication
mary Sudasassi director of Public relations College of Nursing and health Sciences
duane Wiles interim executive director fiU Alumni Association
FIU MaGaZINe Division of external relations
Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy Senior Vice President External Relations
terry Witherell Vice President External Relations
Karen Cochrane Director News and Communications
deborah o’Neil mA ’09 Editor, FIU Magazine
martin haro ’05 associate Editor
Aileen Solá-trautmann art Director
mariel de moya Designer
WritersSissi aguila ’99, Ma ’08Dianne Fernandez ’94Bryan GilmerMichelle LockeJean Paul Renaud MBa ’11
PhotographersDoug Garland ’10Doug HungerfordSamuel LewisEduardo Merille ’97, MBa ’00Gloria O’ConnellIvan Santiago ’00Eric RisbergJosh Ritchieangel Valentin
FIU Board of TrusteesMichael M. adlerSukrit agrawalCesar L. alvarezJose J. armasJorge L. arrizurietaRobert T. Barlick Jr.Thomas a. BreslinMarcelo ClaureGerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBa ’89Mayi de la Vega ’81albert Maury ’96, ’02Patrick O’KeefeClaudia Puig
Copyright 2012, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us call 305-348-7235. Alumni Office: Write to Office of Alumni Relations at MMC MaRC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or call 305-348-3334 or toll free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit fiualumni.com. Change of address: Please send updated address information to FIU Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL, 33199 or by email to [email protected] to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via e-mail to [email protected], by fax to 305-348-3247 or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Relations, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL, 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. all letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.11971_11/11
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/FIUMagazine
fiU magazine is printed on 30% PCW recycled paper that is certified by the forest Stewardship Council
2 | SPRING 2012
By Juan Gomez ’99 Master Sommelier, The Breakers Palm Beach
LILA Photo, Courtesy of The Breakers
A single glass of wine offers something more beyond complexity and
taste. Every sip transports you to different wine regions of the world and their
languages, cultures, politics, religion, food, people and much, much more.
I first began learning about wine when I was a student at FIU. I was born
in a small coastal town in the south of Mexico, where we drank tequila and
beer. I moved to the United States to learn English and ended up pursuing my
hospitality management degree at FIU, one of the best programs in the nation.
My first wine class at FIU left an impression, but at that time, I was unaware of
the impact it would eventually have on my life’s passion and pursuit.
During my senior year, I joined the legendary Breakers in Palm Beach, a
AAA, 5-diamond luxury hotel, as a food and beverage intern. I started out by
working in all the restaurants; I wanted to experience what each one of them
had to offer. It became apparent that working in The Breakers’ 5-diamond
L’Escalier was perfect for me. Working in a fine dining establishment presents
the kind of challenge that I crave, one that requires the ability to be extremely
knowledgeable about food, wine, beverage and service. I knew I was in the
perfect place, but also that I would be starting at an entry level as a server.
To assist me for the position, I took the mandatory 16-week wine class The
Breakers offers and it was then that everything began falling into place.
The wine class was so fascinating! Being educated as a sommelier, the
world of wine exposed me to travel and interactions with people in unique
professions related to food and wine. Along my journey, I have made many
new friends and discussed fascinating topics such as new wine laws, food,
world economies, the arts and other subjects inspired by my passion for wine.
The greatest part of this learning experience has been relating my adventures
to guests with every bottle I recommend.
I was thrilled to be hired as a sommelier so that I could put my theory
into practice. The career path I have chosen is more than just chance; it has
become the driving force to share what I love and savor about life with others.
I’ve had the opportunity of a lifetime working in one of the best resorts in
the world for Virginia Philip, a master sommelier and my mentor. With her
support, The Breakers’ solid wine program and Grand Award-winning wine list,
and my own passion, I decided the timing was perfect to pursue my master
sommelier diploma in 2002.
That journey was as exciting and inspirational as when I first entered the
profession. With every wine that I tasted, every book that I read, every wine
region that I visited and every bit of advice that I received from experts in the
field, I was captivated by the world of wine.
The 2007 vintage brought my dream of becoming a master sommelier to
a reality. The years I spent living and breathing the culture of wine took time,
but like a wine of great age, these experiences have matured my knowledge
and developed my skills as a sommelier. Persevere toward your passion with
attention and appreciation as it takes time to excel and enjoy your craft. My
best advice to achieve your great vintage cuvée: Be consistent and above all
live your passion.
SPRING 2012 | 3
We are proud to salute FIU Panthers point guard Jerica Coley, who has made headlines as one of the nation’s
elite scorers this season. In February, she was named the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Player
of the Year. Just as exciting as the sophomore’s performance on the court is her performance in the classroom.
Coley has a 3.35 GPA as a dietetics and nutrition major and hopes one day to be a university professor.
Congratulations to this outstanding FIU Panther!
Florida International University and Partners in Education
Snapshots in Excellence
One of the most important responsibilities that I have as president is to represent our good institution in our community. A key
part of this representation is to tell the story - what we are doing, how we are working to improve community well-being and solve
community issues and how beneficial this can be for our partners.
So it has been a real thrill to participate in the growing relationship between our School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
and Southern Wine & Spirits Company, led by Harvey and Wayne Chaplin. The Chaplins are a visionary father-son duo who now
honor us with their family name on the school.
Both as provost and now president of FIU, I have made countless trips to their North Miami headquarters over the last decade
to chat, to share hopes and dreams and to figure out mutual challenges and opportunities. Having had the privilege of working
directly with my dad (and mentor) back in the day (in our much smaller family business), I often imagine myself in Wayne’s shoes,
as he and his wise father move through their daily business and family routines. So at a personal level, just being with the Chaplins
at their polished round conference table has allowed me to relive – albeit vicariously – moments with my father that can never
otherwise return.
Their significant commitments to our School of Hospitality and Tourism Management have made a difference for a generation
of our hospitality graduates. Thanks to them and many on their staff, we have one of the nation’s top hospitality and tourism
management programs. With their support, the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center has been at the forefront of
beverage tasting and analysis technology. It has served as an important resource for students, faculty, industry professionals and our
community. Soon, our university and the South Florida community also will benefit from our new state-of-the art teaching restaurant,
which is a reality thanks to the Chaplin family. Without their continuing support and thoughtfulness, the Food Network South Beach
Wine & Food Festival would not have come into existence. This annual mega-event offers unparalleled opportunities for our students
to work shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the world’s great culinary and wine specialists.
We also have been proud to establish the Harvey R. Chaplin Eminent Scholar Chair, the first and only funded chair dedicated to
beverage management. This once again helps us to stay at the leading edge of hospitality management research and education.
Harvey and Wayne stand as exemplars of the power of partnership and win-win relationships. We look forward to working with
them and their excellent staffs to build an even stronger hospitality and tourism management program with deeper local, national and
international impact! We are proud to welcome formally the Chaplins to our FIU family!
P.S. I invite you to watch a video about our students’ participation in this year’s Food Network South Beach Wine
& Food Festival
PreSideNt’S CorNermArK B. roSeNBerG
Be WorldsAheadSPRING 2012 | 5
Snapshots in Excellence
2012 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival: President Rosenberg is joined at the Q by festival organizer Lee Schrager, Southern Wine & Spirits’ Wayne Chaplin and Chaplin School of Hospitality Dean Mike Hampton. At the Tribute Dinner, Southern Wine and Spirits’ Harvey Chaplin was on hand to honor celebrity chef Charlie Trotter (right). Photos by Ivan Santiago ’00 and Seth Browarnik/World Red Eye Productions
GO.FIU.EDU/SOBE2012
6 | SPRING 2012
Napa Living
BY SISSI AGUILA ’99, MA ’08
PHOTOS BY EDUARDO MERILLE ’97 MBA ’00
UNCORKED
Nearly 4.5 million people visit Napa
Valley each year. It’s a bucket list
experience: Wine tours. Gourmet food.
Picturesque rolling hills. Pampering.
For Celeste Carducci ’77, the dream is
being able to offer her guests a blend
of everything she loves.
GO.FIU.EDU/cARDUccI
SPRING 2012 | 7
Carducci owns the historic McClelland-
Priest Bed & Breakfast Inn in Napa’s
historic Abajo-Fuller Park District. Her guests
are treated to the full Napa Valley experience
– one the FIU alumna has perfected, much
like the fine wines for which the region is
known. Her luxury B&B combines more than
30 years in the hospitality business and a
unique talent set.
Carducci started out in the industry
working for her mother at the Seaway Hotel
in upstate New York. Her mom was one of
the first female hotel managers in the area,
and by her side, Carducci learned it all:
housekeeping, lifeguarding, night auditing
and front desk management.
After completing a summer hotel program
at Cornell University, Carducci was officially
in love with the hospitality industry. She
attended FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management after hearing
from industry managers that the school was
among the best for job placement and hands-
on experience.
Right out of college, she was hired by the
Marriott Corporation and then went on to work
for a wine distributor in Washington, D.C. for
several years. In her spare time, Carducci
taught health and fitness classes in Virginia.
Shortly after, she took a management position
with Nieman Sporting Clubs of America.
Carducci’s ultimate goal was to meld her
talents and expertise in the hospitality
industry. Moving to Napa and opening a B&B
was the first step. “I finally began pursuing
my dream of blending the careers that I so
much enjoyed when I moved to California,”
she says.
In 1988, Carducci bought the grand 1879
Second Empire Italianate mansion from
Dr. Ethel Priest. The house was the former
residence of Joseph McClelland, the owner
of Napa’s general store. She lived in the
home while renovating. The McClelland-
Priest Bed & Breakfast Inn opened with two
rooms in 1991.
The house offers a glimpse into Napa’s past.
“What I have done is bring the house back
to its former splendor, making every effort to
preserve its historic integrity,” says Carducci
of the 5,800 square-foot home listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. The
chandelier, marble fireplace and wallpaper are
original to the house.
The now six-room B&B features large
suites with fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs and
private baths. Each room is named in honor
of a famed composer, writer or artist. The
former library, now the Carducci suite, is
named in honor of Celeste’s grandfather,
Giosuè Carducci, who won the Nobel Prize
in literature.
The historic landmark, which feels like a
family home with family photos throughout,
plays host to weddings, private receptions
and tourists from around the world
throughout the year.
Carducci says more and more tourists are
taking advantage of B&Bs. Large vacation
search engines like Expedia have begun
featuring them. And even in a struggling
economy, Carducci’s bookings ran over
8 | SPRING 2012
Celeste Carducci and Bruce Ahnfeld serve Ahnfeld & Carducci wines
at their Napa wine tasting room, Uncorked.
Continued
9
industry average last year.
Hospitality and face time with innkeepers
are a few of the reasons B&Bs are becoming
more popular. Unlike big hotel chains,
Carducci adds, “we’re all unique.”
At McClelland-Priest, health is paramount.
Every morning, Carducci, who teaches
nutrition at Napa Valley College, prepares
a two-course, gourmet breakfast with her
guests’ health in mind. “I shop daily and try
to buy local whenever possible. California is
great for fresh fruit.”
She also serves as a fitness guide for her
guests. The B&B offers one-hour sessions
that can include yoga, stretching, body
sculpting, running, walking, or spinning. For
those who prefer something less structured,
Carducci recommends walking trails with
breathtaking views.
Fitness fanatics are naturally attracted to
McClelland-Priest. On the B&B’s Facebook
page, Monica Parikh wrote, “See you in April
for the HITS Napa Valley Triathlon! It will be
such a pleasure to relax in McClelland-Priest
luxury after I kick ass :).”
In 2007, Carducci started looking for a
new venture to add to the mix. “Napa was
missing a wine bar,” she says. Having spent
years in the wine industry and studied
wine at FIU, in France and in Italy, she was
confident that she and her husband Bruce
Ahnfeldt could pull it off.
They bought and renovated a circa
1900 home in downtown Napa. In 2009,
the pair opened Uncorked at Oxbow, an
untraditional tasting salon where guests
are encouraged to get up and sing or play
the guitar.
The wine bar also serves the couple’s
award-winning Ahnfeldt & Carducci Wines.
“When we first bought the place we would
hold some of the grape harvest to make
wine. Today, we hold all our harvest to
produce our red wine.”
Wine enthusiasts are savoring Uncorked.
In 2011, Carducci submitted 12 Ahnfeldt
and Carducci Wines to the San Francisco
Chronicle Wine Competition, all 12 were
awarded medals. In the 2011 America Fine
Wine Competition, the 2007 Ahnfeldt White
Label 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon took
home gold and the 2007 Ahnfeldt Merlot
won the organization’s silver award.
On Yelp, a popular website where people
rate bars and restaurants, Carducci’s wine
bar has four-and-a-half stars. Don D. from
Beverly Hills says, “The provocative wines
were supreme. If you like smooth red wine,
this is the place to try. Make sure you buy
your bottles before you leave because you
will not find them anywhere else…trust me
on this one folks.”
Local Sharon C. says, “This is the most
fun tasting room in Napa! Friendly and fun
and nothing pretentious here!” Carducci’s
guests take home the perfect souvenir: the
experience of a lifetime. n
FIU Magazine Editor Deborah O’Neil MA ’09 contributed to this story.
SPRING 2012 | 9
Carducci’s McClelland-Priest
Bed & Breakfast in historic Napa
is listed in the National Register
of Historic Places.
9 9
I meet Gence Alton ’02 at his Napa
Valley warehouse shortly after he’s
uncorked a Barbaresco of distinguished
heritage. The vintage tag has fallen off this
particular bottle of Italian wine, made from
the Nebbiolo grape, so it’s hard to gauge
its exact age. But judging from its color
- a rich caramel - and the
collection it came from, it’s
clearly several decades old.
It’s not your typical mid-
afternoon beverage, but
Gence (ghen-JAY) Alton
doesn’t have a typical
office job. He is director of
auctions and acquisitions for
WineGavel, a San Francisco-
based specialty auction
house that sells rare and
highly prized wines online
and at live auction.
Gray skies are hanging over Napa and,
in the vineyards, harvested vines droop
forlornly in the damp air. But inside the
warehouse there’s a cheerful bustle of
activity as Alton and his colleagues get
wines ready for sale, which includes
sampling the Barbaresco, part of a bigger
lot, since it’s crucial to know whether the
wines have been kept properly.
Alton has been with WineGavel, an
emerging company, for about a year. “It’s
growing. Every day we have both the
dizzying, addictive fun of growth and also
the issues of growth,” he says. Weekly
Internet auctions are the mainstay of the
company, with live auctions being held
about a half-dozen times a year. Alton
jokes that he’s a dealer in “second-hand
wine” – the wine hasn’t been used but
it is pre-owned. But it’s clearly serious
business to him to make sure the wine
has been cellared carefully and to explain
its history, or “provenance,” to the buyer.
Alton, born and raised in Istanbul,
came to wine by way of food. His parents
were leery of him studying hospitality,
which at the time in Turkey wasn’t a
very distinguished field of study, so he
got a degree in international relations
from Bilkent University, a leading Turkish
institution. The natural next step would
have been the Foreign Service, but the
call of a career in food persisted and he
started looking at schools in
the United States, eventually
picking FIU.
In his first week at the
university, he took a wine
class taught by Professor Bill
Hebrank. “It was Wine 101
and he walks into this two-
hour session with about 10
bottles of German riesling.
And throughout those two
hours we taste every one and
he basically is telling these
stories, where they came from, why the
styles are so different. I had no idea
that something like riesling could be so
different. There were so many variations.”
Alton walked out a confirmed wine-
lover with a new passion to pursue. His
studies essentially were completed in
1999, although a series of interruptions
meant he picked up his degree in 2002.
He’s continued his wine education since
10 | SPRING 2012
then, and is a candidate for the prestigious Master of Wine title
after getting his degree in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit
Education Trust.
Meanwhile, after graduating FIU, he worked as a retail wine
buyer for some years, which was interesting but physically and
psychologically grueling with its requisite thousands of tastings per
year. “We had to kiss a lot of frogs to find the princes out there.”
These days he still tastes plenty of wines, but at a bit more
manageable rate, like the Barbaresco, which was part of a collection
that goes back to the 1930s and has an interesting past. The original
owner was apparently a smuggler, and a man with excellent taste
in wine. He was jailed, his cellar confiscated and sold to a storage
company that consigned the lot for auction.
So much for the back story. How did it taste after all these years?
Good, it turns out. Beautifully aged, the wine was balanced and
elegant and showed a wonderful acidity. Ever the foodie, Alton
pictured it going very well with a truffled risotto.
Of course, a lot of wine sold at auction won’t ever see a glass but
will be resold as an investment, which is something Alton has mixed
feelings about. He likes to see wine treasured as a collectible, but he
likes to see it being consumed the way the producer intended, too.
That’s the magic of wine, he points out.
“When you open a special bottle for a special night and people
are just blown away by it and they really appreciate it – that synergy
that happens when an old bottle of wine brings people together is
unshared by any other product,” he says. “That’s what makes old
and rare wine so fascinating.” n
Michelle Locke is a freelance wine writer in California.
BY MIcHELLE LOckE I PHOTO BY EDUARDO MERILLE ’97, MBA ’00
GO.FIU.EDU/ALTON
SPRING 2012 | 11
Bacchus Smiles
12 | SPRING 2012
When
On a Sunday afternoon at the end
of harvest, JC Cellars owner and
winemaker Jeff Cohn ’84 is talking
about wine. With him, it’s easy to see just
how much wine can express the personality
of its maker.
“With cabernet you have to dress up in a
jacket and tie. With zin and syrah you run
around naked and free,” he says with a grin.
“Syrah, petite syrah, marsanne, grenache are
all very romantic.”
This is no stuffy lecture on the secrets of
the cellar. Cohn sprinkles the conversation
with words like “sexy” and “exciting” to
describe wine. He uses grape-stained
fingers to point out the big fermenting tank
that they call “the hippo.”
It’s not hard to imagine why his mentor and
fellow winemaker Pam Starr jokes that Cohn
is “not allowed in the suit club.” Cohn’s wines
– lively Rhône varietals and opulent zinfandels
that regularly earn 90+ ratings – are bursting
with joie de vivre. Wine Spectator has
named JC Cellars one of the top California
zinfandel producers and given Cohn the title
of Zinfandel Specialist.
“He’s known for his zinfandels and zany left-
field varieties. It’s just appropriate for Jeff,”
Starr says. “He has an enthusiasm and zest
for winemaking that I rarely run across.”
Cohn and his wife Alexandra Cohn MS ’87,
a fellow hospitality graduate, opened
JC Cellars in 2005 as an urban winery
in Oakland, CA. They are successful
entrepreneurs in a highly competitive
industry, combining her business
savvy and his artistic vision with a lot
of hard work. Owning a winery means
wakeup calls before dawn to check on
fermenting grapes, hours on the road
visiting vineyards, business trips around
the country and the risk that comes with
depending on Mother Nature’s generosity.
An accountant with a background in hotel
and winery consulting, Alexandra runs the
business side of JC Cellars. She travels
for the winery, “eating my way across
America,” she jokes, managing business
relationships and public relations. “There
are tons of fabulous people in the wine
industry,” she says. “I’m really proud to say
those people are my friends. You have a
growing, close-knit community.”
The serious work of making a mark in the
wine industry seems to have done little to
diminish Cohn’s irreverence. A few years
ago, the winemaker promised to dye his hair
purple if he received a score of 95 or above
on any JC Cellars wine. He got two, a 95 from
Connoisseurs’ Guide for his Fess Parker 2005
Syrah and a 96 from The Wine Advocate for
the Philary Syrah.
The winemaker made good on his promise,
posting the proof online and noting, “It won’t
wash out. I still have some pink highlights.”
An irresistible callingNeither of the Cohns was born into the wine
world. Pluck and talent got them there.
Although both attended FIU, they met after
graduating during an orientation at the Hyatt
Regency Crystal City in Virginia. Alexandra
was an accounting trainee and Jeff was
the food and beverage cost controller for
the large convention hotel. Alexandra even
remembers the day they met: June 3, 1987.
Their leap into the wine industry didn’t
come for years, although wine seemed to
beckon Cohn everywhere he landed, starting
with FIU.
Cohn took his first wine class at FIU and
remembers tasting two wines in David Greer’s
class that got him excited: a Ridge Fiddletown
Zinfandel and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “They
had so many layers and were so complex
because they were blends,” he says. “The
influence I got from that has carried through.”
With help from then-Professor Steve Moll,
now the BBC vice provost, Cohn landed a
job as the food and beverage manager for
Bacchus SmilesAlUMNI COUplE JEFF AND AlExANDrA COhN MAKE WINEs WIth BIG pErsONAlItY At thEIr JC CEllArs WINErY
SPRING 2012 | 13
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09 I PHoToS By EDUARDo MERILLE ’97, MBA ’00
When GO.FIU.EDU/cOHN
Continues next page
“Wild n’ Zinful,” the wine that convinced Kent
Rosenblum to hire him at Rosenblum Cellars,
the acclaimed producer of zinfandel.
During his 10 years at Rosenblum, the young
winemaker became a star. Cohn made the first
zinfandel ever to grace Wine Spectator’s Top
10 Wines of the Year – the 2003 Rosenblum
Rockpile Road Vineyard Zinfandel. Cohn’s zin
was the third best wine of 2005, right behind a
Joseph Phelps Insignia and a Châteauneuf-du-
Pape, the wine that had opened his eyes at FIU.
He left Rosenblum in 2006 to dedicate
himself to JC Cellars. Today, his winery
produces 5,000 cases of wine per year with a
staff of five, including the Cohns. Their wines
are sold in 26 states and range in price from
$25 to $85.
The accolades keep rolling in for the winery.
In January 2012, Wine Spectator’s Tim Fish
described JC Cellars recent releases as
“outstanding,” singling out the “big, distinctive
St. Peter’s Church Vineyard bottling, loaded
with flavor and personality.”
The creation of a single bottle of wine takes
far longer and far more effort than many
people realize, Alexandra points out. “People
think the wine industry is such a romantic
industry. It’s a lot of hard work,” she said. “You
have 18 months when you are making product
know that would lead to more phone calls
and visits. He’s just not going to take no for an
answer.”
Cohn remembers how Starr made him taste
grapes off the vine, week after week. He
learned from her one of the most important
lessons of winemaking: Don’t rely on numbers
to make your wine. “If it’s not ripe, you need
to wait, even if the numbers say otherwise,”
Cohn wrote in his newsletter. “I live by this
every year, even when I see rain clouds on the
horizon (more gray hairs).”
Starr says Cohn hasn’t changed much since
she first met him 20 years ago. He still asks
her questions that are “sideways enough to
make you think, ‘Why is this person asking
that? Some of his questions have led me to
say, ‘Well, why don’t I do this?’”
“He has become a really great winemaker,”
she says. “He has a very good reputation with
growers and that’s an excellent reputation to
have – your ability to be true and honest.”
Science and artWhile he was studying enology at Fresno
State, Cohn had the chance to pick a
quarter ton of fruit from Robert Biale’s Aldo’s
Vineyard in Napa Valley, famous for its old
vine zinfandel. With those grapes he made
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. He spent two
or three weeks a month cruising and in his
downtime, he hung out in his friend’s wine
shop in Martinique.
Later, he took a job at Sutton Place Gourmet
in Washington, D.C., where the wine buyer
began teaching him about wine. He took
advantage of his employee discount to taste
and learn more.
He worked one harvest season at Boordy
Vineyards in Maryland, doing everything from
picking grapes to cleaning barrels.
And finally, after years of working in various
hospitality jobs, Cohn told Alexandra: “I think
I want to go back to school and become a
winemaker. I think I can do it.”
Cohn enrolled at California State University,
Fresno to earn a master’s degree in
agricultural chemistry with an emphasis on
enology. Early on, he met Starr, then the
winemaker at Spottswoode in Napa Valley.
Cohn’s earnest desire to learn made an
impression on her that still lingers.
“I remember being grilled by a very
enthusiastic student of enology, asking
questions like, ‘Why isn’t my wine going
through malolactic fermentation?’ It was so
pure and honest,” Starr says. “I told him to
go back and work on it some more. I didn’t
14 | SPRING 2012
Continued
before you have anything to sell the first vintage out.”
Here’s how it happens: It takes one year to grow the grapes, and
hopefully the weather cooperates, giving the vineyards just the right sun
and rain, at the right times. The winemaker decides when to pick the fruit.
There’s no formula for knowing when the moment is right. Cohn relies
more on his senses than the myriad measurement tools available to the
winemaker. By the end, the winemaker is praying day by day that the
weather will hold out.
After the grapes are harvested, it takes three weeks to ferment them, a
process that involves more important choices for the winemaker. Which
yeast to use, whether to do whole cluster fermentation, the temperature
of the fermentation, how many times to punch it down, when to press.
These decisions are part science, part artistry and all affect the quality
of the wine.
“I try not to let the chemistry rule what I do,” says Cohn. “A lot of people
who make wine say it has to be this pH and that acidity. I don’t follow
those rules. My friends will say, ‘Didn’t you look at the sugar? And I say, ‘I
don’t know anything about that.’ I go by what I think is best for the wine. I
go off the wall.”
Go for itCohn relishes the pressure and exhilaration of harvest season. “It’s
what makes me go. This is my most favorite time of the year. This is
when I get to create my vision.”
He makes his blends with a 60-milliliter syringe during marathon tasting
sessions in his Oakland lab. “To really get the feel for what the blend is
about, you can’t spit,” he said. “By the time I’m done, I’m done.”
He always tests his blends twice, coming back the next day to recreate
the wine and see if he likes it as much the second time. “Ninety-five
percent of the time, I nail it. If they come out the way they should, I go
for it.”
He remembers his 2005 wine, The Impostor, a zinfandel blend. The fruit
wasn’t what he’d hoped. It just wasn’t coming together. He kept working
at it in the lab, ultimately coming up with a blend that was 72 percent
zinfandel with syrah, petite syrah, mourvedre and viognier.
He wondered if anyone would understand this big, exotic blend. He
had taken zinfandel to a new level, making a wine that was bold and
balanced. Someone did.
The Impostor was selected as No. 52 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100
Wines of 2007.
When a wine comes together perfectly, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly
why. The outstanding vintage of 2005 left Cohn pondering the wonder of
it all in his newsletter. Maybe it was the amount of rainfall. Maybe it was
when the showers occurred. Or it could have been how the sun shined
at a particular time.
“Or it could have been that every so often Bacchus smiles down on all
of us and provides winemakers a chance to just make great wines.” n
22 QueStiOnS fOr the WinemAkerFirst wine ever made?
JC: elderberry wine from a kit.
If you had to choose another region to craft wines in what
would it be?
JC: Martinique
Favorite color?
JC: Purple
Choose another winemaker to form a winemaking
partnership with.
JC: Isabel Ferrando of Domaine st.-Préfert, laurence Feraud of
Domaine du Pegau or Julien Barrot of Domaine la Barroche
Cork or screwcaps?
JC: Cork
Favorite food/dish?
anything chocolate. anything pizza related. snickers bars and
cassoulet.
Favorite grape variety to play around with?
JC: Mourvèdre and semillon
Activity/Hobby/Pastime other than winemaking?
JC: My kids, exercise and eating.
How many countries have you traveled to?
JC: 22 different stamps in the passport!
What is your favorite beer?
JC: sierra Nevada
Peanut Butter or Nutella?
JC: Can’t we all get along together, forever?!
What is the most reoccurring dream or nightmare you have
during harvest?
JC: Who has time to sleep, let alone dream?
Do you have a name for your press?
JC: No name for the press.
Favorite vintage from your winery?
JC: 2003 and 2005
What snack gets you through the day?
JC: Diet Dr. Pepper, roasted almonds, snickers and popcorn.
When you take a vacation, where do you go?
JC: Cabo, baby!
What is that one bottle in your cellar that you are most
looking forward to drinking one day?
JC: a 1990 Henri Bonneau Cuvee speciale.
What do you never leave your house without?
JC: My keys and my cell phone.
What was your favorite subject in school?
JC: Physics and lunch.
If you couldn’t make wine anymore, what would you do?
JC: Be a stay-at-home dad and let my wife work at a CPa firm.
What is the one thing you wish someone would have told
you before you entered the wine industry?
JC: That being on the road selling wines was stressful.
Name and breed of your favorite dog?
JC: I had an airdale when I was a kid but now have a
Welsh Terrier.
This Q&A was prepared by Hospice du Rhone, the world’s largest
celebration of the 22 Rhône variety wines, and originally appeared
online at hospicedurhone.org.
SPRING 2012 | 15
Wine GrapesIt all starts on the vine, where wine grapes produce the sugar that yeast will turn to alcohol. These grapes are different than the green and red table grapes at the supermarket, chosen for their unique flavor elements. All grape juice is clear; red wine’s color comes from soaking with red grape skins. You can get white wine from red grapes or soak a little and make the wine pink.
Wine 101Does the Glass matter?Yeah, a little. A tall champagne stem shows off the bubble trails. And the bulb of a stemmed wine glass gathers aromas, so pour one only half full. But glassmakers offer a ridiculous number of shapes. You don’t really need a different glass for cabernet and zinfandel – you’ll enjoy yummy wine in a juice glass with a rooster on the side..
oak barrelsWhen winemakers stored their stuff in oak barrels centuries ago, they noticed it added a vanilla flavor. Today, a winemaker influences the flavor of wine by deciding whether to use barrels made from European or American trees, determining how much the inside of the barrel is charred and how long to age the wine in the barrel.
FinD a Wine You’ll love:A wine made from and named after just one wine grape variety is known as a varietal wine, which is common in the United States, Australia and Germany. These are the most common California varietals:
reds:Merlot: Old-school French Bordeaux grape with mellow plum/cranberry flavors. Good with food or alone.
Cabernet sauvignon: Merlot’s Bordeaux brother tastes like berry jam and smells of pipe tobacco when it’s right, but it’s very tannic and full-bodied and may be too harsh without some age in the bottle or without the fat of a juicy steak alongside.
Pinot noir: Liquid velvet/lavender/raspberry elegance in a glass. Try one from Carneros in California or Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Zinfandel: The grandpa grape of the California wine scene grows in century-old vineyards. A basket of yummy berries with a hint of spice.
Whites:Chardonnay: Tropical fruit flavors from the grapes blend with a buttery taste from special fermentation and vanilla and toast from the oak barrels.
sauvignon blanc: Refreshing, clean white wine with thinner body and subtler mineral and herb flavors.
Blends:Many winemakers love to blend wine grapes to produce complex and interesting wines, often using some lesser known varietals like petit syrah, cabernet franc or semillon. In California, some blends are labeled “Meritage,” signifying that they are made in the Bordeaux style of France. The best way to get to know blends is to try some.
rosé: The most common U.S. pink wine is white zinfandel, made from the same grape as red zinfandel. It’s sweet and lower in alcohol because fermentation leaves behind some sugar. Some wine buffs look down on white zin, but it’s the first wine many ever enjoy. Around the world, you’ll find dry (not sweet) pink wines that are as serious as they come.
16 | SPRING 2012
aGinG WineFirst, make sure it’ll get better - like cabernet - or even keep without spoiling. Drink most whites and some reds, like Beaujolais Nouveau, soon after buying.
Storing wineDark, cool and consistent (55°F to air conditioned room temperature) are the rules. Racking bottles on their sides keeps the cork wet and stops air from getting in to hurt the wine. If you don’t finish your bottle of wine, FIU wine expert Chip Cassidy recommends gassing it up. Pick up a canister of Argon Gas at a wine shop and inject it into the wine bottle. The gas displaces the oxygen that spoils the wine. Both red and white wines can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days, as the cold temperature will slow down the oxidation. Take your red wine out of the fridge an hour or two before drinking.
hoW to Drink WinePour, swirl and check out that body and nose. “Body” is a wine’s thickness and intensity of flavor. Swirl a wine in your glass and notice how much sticks to the sides. Use your nose to enjoy the wine’s “nose” or unique fragrances – more than half the experience. A musty, stale, papery smell means the wine is “corked,” or spoiled, by a compound from its cork stopper – if so, send it back.
Sip, slurp and taste. As you sip, slurp air through the wine to release its flavors. Swirl the wine in your mouth and swallow. Look for:
• Tannin: Mouth-drying, slightly bitter property like unsweetened tea.
• Dryness: Whether the wine has any sweetness. Even if perfectly dry, the wine should still taste of ….
• Fruit: California wineries are known for huge, intense fruit flavors, while many European wines, such as those from France, feature more subtle fruit.
• Acid: The sharpness or tartness of a wine. Good wines balance their acid with their fruit (and/or tannins) to create a pleasing balance of flavors.
• Complexity: Is there a circus in your mouth, or just one clown banging a cymbal?
• Terroir: Any wine may also show “terroir,” or unique flavors imparted by the particular combination of soil, sunlight, wind, rain and other conditions where it was grown.
Name of the winery
Vineyard where the grapes were grown
The vintage, the year the grapes were harvested
Location of theVineyard
Wine grape variety used
What's on the label?
SPRING 2012 | 17
As a teenager, you worked at the mcdonald’s drive-through in
Pittsburg, Kan. What wine would pair ideally with mcdonald’s
famous french fries?
Got to be Champagne.
oh, wow. i would’ve gone red with that.
No, salty foods are perfect for the acidity and the bubbles in
Champagne or sparkling wine. I just bought three cases of sparkling
wine last week. I think drinking Champagne is something that people
should not reserve for special occasions. On a Monday night with
broccoli and grilled pork, open a bottle of Champagne. It always
makes you feel good, popping a cork and listening to the bubbles.
i notice you said you bought cases of wine. i thought a big perk of
the wine biz was lots of free wine.
Well, it depends on what job you have and how much access you
have to different wines.
i guess you don’t get a free $52 bottle of Jordan cabernet as often
as a winery would give away a $9 or $10 or $12 bottle, huh.
Right. But I have friends at different wineries, and all of us get an
employee rate for our companies’ wines, so I’m able to keep the
cellar going a little bit.
You started college at Kansas State. how’d you end up
transferring to fiU?
I had a bad winter. Every now and then people from small towns
get it and say, “Oh, I don’t have to be here anymore. I’m an adult
now, and I can go wherever I want.” I was dating a guy at K State
who wanted to be a dive instructor and he said, “Why don’t we
move to Florida?” So I did.
And you majored in communications with a concentration in
hospitality management. Sounds like perfect preparation for your
current job.
I love the wine business, and I credit that to the School of
Hospitality at FIU and to Chip Cassidy’s wine class. It got me
excited about wine. And so I’ve made a career in something I
always wanted to do – communications – in an industry that’s
fascinating. Over the years, there have been so many times when
I’ve paused and thought, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this.”
i think you have my dream job. Can you explain how i failed to
choose a career in the wine industry?
That’s easy: Because you didn’t go to FIU.
oh. tell us about your gig at Jordan.
18 | SPRING 2012
originally from Gerard, Kan., Lisa mattson ’97 studied communications and hospitality management
at fiU. She lives in California’s Sonoma wine country and works as communications director for Jordan
Vineyard and Winery, a producer of high-end cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. She’s also the
author of an irreverent memoir on the dating career that led her to her husband and soul mate, damon
mattson. North Carolina-based author and wine lover Bryan Gilmer had some questions for her.
Miami leads alumna to wine, social media and a memoir PLAY ON & DRINK UP
SPRING 2012 | 19
Since we’re a family winery, it’s pretty
all encompassing – everything from the
marketing and messaging for the brand to
public relations and digital media strategy and
execution. I do a weekly video blog. I write all
the copy for our direct-to-consumer newsletter
and sales rep presentations.
how do you use social media?
We never directly try to sell on social
media. Our idea is that if you take care of
your customers, your customers will take
care of you. We ask ourselves, what do we
have to share where we could be a helpful
resource for our followers? We did a piece on
how to make French macaroons with our chef
in the kitchen. How to prune an olive tree.
Stuff like that.
right now, i’m enjoying a glass of the ’97
Volpaia Chianti Classico riserva, and i know
you used to represent the importer of that
wine. What’s in your glass?
Um, right now Gatorade, because it’s 7 in
the morning here, and I just got back from
running 4 miles at the gym. Last night it was
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut, a sparkling wine,
and yesterday at work I had our Jordan 2002
cabernet, an incredible wine. We did a vertical
tasting (several consecutive vintages) up
through our 2008 cab. It’s amazing to see how
those wines age. Hmm...isn’t it only 10 in the
morning on the East Coast where you are?
So it is. i, ah, wrote that question last night.
Next topic: At wine tastings, it’s customary
to swish and spit to avoid unseemly
drunkenness. explain how to do this
gracefully and without staining your blouse.
I think at everybody’s first tasting, you
don’t follow the spit rule and you get burned.
At a winery, especially in Europe, it’s easy,
because you can just spit on the floor.
When you’re in a hotel banquet room,
professionals bring their own plastic
Dixie cup. You put the cup almost to
your lip and spit into it. That’s the sign
of a true professional: a wine glass in
one hand and a Dixie cup in the other.
Also, watch out for a full dump bucket
because there’s the possibility of
something splashing up on you.
You’re looking to publish your memoir,
The Exes in My iPod, in which you use a
13-song playlist as a window into your
previous relationships – as your book’s
pitch notes, “a string of exes that could
fill a National football League roster,
53 men.” one song on the playlist is
“Brass monkey” by the Beastie Boys.
tell me about thAt guy.
Oh, God. I met that guy at FIU. In my
media law and ethics class. He was
the carefree slacker type, and I was the
girl who wanted to sit in the front row
and fill up two binders with notes. We
dated for almost two years. I would be
trying to study, and he’d come over with
a six-pack of Heineken and take out
whatever CD was in my stereo and put in
the Beastie Boys – because that was the
only one I had that he liked. He taught
me to relax and have fun. n
Get in touch with Lisa Mattson ’97 at facebook.com/exesinmyipod or @lisamattsonwine on Twitter.
PLAY ON & DRINK UP
Photo by Damon Mattson
20 | SPRING 2012
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09 I PHOTOS BY EDUARDO MERILLE ’97, MBA ’00
Nestled along the northern reaches of California’s Pacific Coast highway is the hamlet of Bodega, a curious mix of rural charm, American pop culture and majestic coastline.
Ansel Adams came here in 1953 to photograph the iconic St. teresa de Avila church that still sits in the center of town. Alfred hitchcock filmed The Birds with tippi hedren in the early ’60s here as well. the 140-year-old Potter School featured in the movie stands just behind the church.
it is here that miami natives and college friends michael fahmie ’02 and michael faulk ’05 landed after college and decided to start a business.
GO.FIU.EDU/FAHMIE
A reAl couNtry storeA trained chef, Fahmie bought the historic
Bodega Country Store in the center of town
and, with help from Faulk, began restoring it
as a proper country store – a place where you
can buy home-cooked food, local produce
and Patty’s homemade goat cheese, batteries
and matches, California wine and books by
local authors. His website sums it up: “A nice
store in a small town.”
“I have a real working country store,”
Fahmie said. “People find it to be a bit of a
novelty these days. Bodega Country Store
represents a sort of lost Americana. I’m really
proud of what we have done here.”
Fahmie has kept intact the store’s original
kitchen, situated right next to the checkout
counter. He and his staff prepare food
throughout the day – fresh-baked cinnamon
rolls, chicken salad, crab macaroni and
cheese – using a Burton induction burner and
two small convection ovens, a microwave
and four tabletop warmers. Fahmie, who
worked at the Mandarin Oriental and as a
private chef to, among others, FIU President
Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique, has no desire
to modernize his historic kitchen.
“You embrace what you have. That’s
what I have learned as someone who came
from a place where you can get what
you want, when you want it,”
he said. “As a chef in Texas,
I flew in caviar from Russia and
salmon from Alaska. But the sign of a
really good chef is taking something
ordinary and making it extraordinary. I
make crab macaroni and cheese, and
I can’t keep it on the shelves.”
Visitors to Bodega Country Store
are greeted with a life-sized Hitchcock
outside and inside, Fahmie may
well have one of the world’s largest
collections of Hitchcock memorabilia.
A couple of times a year, Tippi Hedren
drops by the store to sign autographs.
You can, of course, pick up a copy of The
Birds. You can also say hello to Zeka, the
store’s real bird. Zeka, by the way, was Zek
until “he” laid an egg.
Fahmie caters to two crowds. The locals
are pretty well birded out and just want
supplies and good food. Tourists, on the other
hand, come from all over the world to visit the
sites Hitchcock made famous and to recreate
Ansel Adams’ black and white steeple image.
They too want good food and supplies, but
they also want to chat with someone who
knows the town’s history, and they get a warm
welcome at the Bodega Country Store
. ‘Proof thAt God loves us’Fahmie and Faulk met while they were
culinary arts students at Johnson & Wales.
After graduating, both went to FIU. Says
Fahmie, “I had a lot of industry experience,
but I wasn’t getting promoted because I didn’t
have a bachelor’s degree.” They worked
alongside FIU chef instructor Michael Moran
’86, MS ’03 at the Food Network South Beach
Wine & Food Festival for two years. Both were
mentored by FIU hospitality instructor and
wine expert Chip Cassidy ’75.
“I started taking the hospitality program so I
could be more well rounded,” said Faulk, who
also has worked as a chef and now manages
restaurants. “Chip was a major influence on
me wanting to learn about wine.”
While in college, the two did internships
as chefs at Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island
in Washington. The beauty of the west coast
awed them. “I just wanted to be in wine
country in the Pacific Northwest,” Faulk said.
Fahmie spent the next decade working as
a private chef before deciding to “step back
Continues next page
Michael Fahmie may well have one of the world’s largest collections of Alfred
hitchcock memorabilia in his store.Michael Faulk named his wine for his Cuban grandmother, Engracia.
Zeka, the real bird, lives at Bodega Country store.
SPRING 2012 | 21
22 | SPRING 2012
and take a breath.” He took a year-and-a-half
off to travel and author Eat. Drink. Be Merry:
Vagabonding in the Americas,” a photo book
of his journey.
There are photos of pine forests and rocky
beaches, tomatoes and wine grapes, and
Fahmie canoeing and camping. Alongside
pictures of vineyards in California, Fahmie
wrote, “Wine is constant proof that God loves
us and wants us to be happy.”
A sweet GiGFahmie has family in Sonoma County, so
he had been visiting the area for years. He
had stopped at the Bodega Country Store
several times and recognized its potential.
One of Bodega’s pioneering families, the
McCaughey brothers, built the store in 1856.
But it was run down and operated as a cheap
convenience store.
“It was such a historic building in a historic
place and you come out to the coast and all
you could get was a beer and maybe a frozen
burrito,” Fahmie said.
In 2008, a business broker mentioned to
Fahmie an old country store on the coast
that was for sale. Fahmie knew exactly where
it was. He decided he would be the one to
bring back the Bodega Country Store. “I
decided to do it my way,” he says.
He wanted the store to claim its role as
the center of town life, the spot where every
passerby and local stops for food, information
and conversation. His culinary skills would
be central – he saw an opportunity to create
a menu of gourmet grab-and-go items for
visitors headed to the breathtaking coastline
just a few miles away. He also wanted to have
fun with the village’s storied past.
He called on his longtime friend Faulk to
help him out. Faulk had already settled in
California, running restaurants around Napa
and Sonoma, meeting winemakers and
winery owners throughout the region. He
also began experimenting with winemaking
at home as a hobby.
Faulk left LaSalette, a fine Portuguese
restaurant in downtown Sonoma, to help
Fahmie get the Bodega business off the
ground. The historic building had been
neglected and needed some TLC. In the
beginning as they worked on the building,
the two catered weddings and held oyster
barbecues on the weekends in the center of
Bodega. “It was a sweet gig,” Faulk says.
It took a couple of months to get the store
ready for opening. Faulk eventually returned to
the restaurant industry and is now the general
manager of Wildfox, about 40 minutes north
of San Francisco. And Fahmie now offers FIU
students the opportunity to intern at Bodega
Country Store and learn about California’s
wine country.
eAt. driNk. Be Merry.For the last five years, Faulk has been
making small-batch wine at home. He calls it
Engracia, named for his Cuban grandmother,
Engracia Perez Hernandez, who fled Cuba in
1960. The label is designed with the island of
Cuba. Dominos designate the vintage.
He works with California growers to get his
grapes and makes a merlot, pinot noir and a
chardonnay. Fittingly, the making of Engracia
is a social event and Faulk’s friends help him
out. Every year, he has a bottling party and
hosts private tastings at his house.
Faulk also welcomes FIU alumni and
students to join them. Anyone interested in
helping with harvest, bottling or just in tasting
some wine is welcome to contact him. He can
be reached through engraciawines.com.
“We have a great time throughout harvest
season,” Faulk said. “I get a group of my
friends to help me pick the grapes, then we
crush and press. When it’s ready to bottle I
call on my group of friends and we bottle and
label. We eat good food, drink great wine,
get our hands dirty and have fun doing it. It’s
basically a party, but we work first, then party.
You get this great sense of accomplishment
and it is indescribable.”
Where the winemaking will go, Faulk
isn’t sure but he’s developed a philosophy
for Engracia.
“A person does not make wine, rather
they simply guide it along during the natural
process in order to ensure that the finished
product is one of great quality,” he said.
“I prefer the term ‘Wine Father’ or ‘Wine
Mother’ or perhaps ‘Wine Parent’ rather than
‘Wine Maker.’ ”
The two friends still hold their summer
oyster barbecue across the street from the
store. And they will be happy to tell you all
about Bodega’s quirky history over a bottle
or two of Engracia. n
Continued
SPRING 2012 | 23
By Martin Haro ’05
Dr. Sergio González-Arias is living his
dreams – and toasting every milestone with a
glass of his own wine from Soñador Cellars.
When the Cuban-born, New York-raised
physician first decided he wanted to become
a neurosurgeon in the 1970s, he headed
to Europe to pursue doctoral and medical
degrees at the Universidad de Zaragoza.
When he saw a need for a multidisciplinary
department of neurosciences at Miami’s
Baptist Hospital, he helped develop it,
bringing together doctors from different
departments including neurology,
neurosurgery and neuroradiolgy. He is now
medical director of the Baptist Hospital
Neuroscience Center.
And when the doctor was invited to
join the faculty of FIU’s Herbert Wertheim
College of Medicine as chair of the
Department of Neurosurgery, he accepted
the job, enthusiastic about not only lending
an expert hand in the school’s early years
but offering students the best neurosurgical
training. González-Arias was already part
of the FIU family – his daughter Veronica
graduated from the College of Business
Administration in 1995 and his son-in-law,
Raul Maristany, received his degree in public
administration in 1997.
That go-get-it attitude was the key
ingredient González-Arias needed when
he realized in 2001 that partnering with
longtime friend and FIU alumnus Doug
Gallagher MS ’77 on Soñador was an idea
full of potential.
“My wife Maria and I were at a wine
tasting one afternoon and we just looked at
each other like, ‘Why don’t we do this?’”
That, in a nutshell, is how the doctor
got into the wine business. To be clear, this
isn’t a hobby. FIU Magazine asked the FIU
professor a few questions about medicine
and winemaking.
How does a Miami doctor get into the
California wine business?
Wine is one many interests. When I was
in Spain studying, one of my memories is of
sitting for a meal at the pensión and sharing
red wine with the people there. And my
wife Maria and I enjoy a nice glass and the
process of making wine. We started collecting
wine a long time ago, in the mid-’80s.
living on the east Coast, seeing
patients at Baptist and teaching at FIU,
how involved are you with operations
at soñador?
Winemaking is an episodic event with
a few critical moments like the harvest,
creating the blend, bottling…. We have our
consultant on site in Napa who oversees
everything for us, but we head west and
we’re there for those weeks where quality
control is essential.
Where do you stand on the debate about
a glass of red a day helping to keep the
doctor away?
There’s a lot of literature about this out
there, but I don’t think that a glass of wine
every day, for someone who is healthy and
has no liver problems, can hurt. Wine is part
of the Mediterranean diet, which is opposite
ours in every way. It’s also a social thing,
too. Maria and I have met so many different
people at tastings over the years – people
who wouldn’t otherwise come together if not
for wine. Going back to the health question, I
think our younger generation is approaching
wine better, with more balance.
speaking of balance, you run a department
at a major hospital and you teach at a
university. How do you unwind after a long
day at work?
My favorite way to unwind after a 12-hour
day at the hospital and teaching at FIU, which
I also enjoy tremendously, is to spoil my two
grandsons and let them do everything their
parents don’t let them do. The boys are 10
and 7 years old and are building a “man cave”
in one of our rooms. And every once in a while
my wife and I will take a bottle from the cellar
and have it with dinner.
you mentioned you’ve been collecting wine
for a long time. How big is the González-
arias collection?
We have about 5,000-6,000 bottles from
all the major wine-producing regions of
the world.
I imagine you’re fonder of reds.
I enjoy whites as well. At a slightly warmer
temperature than most people like it.
What’s the prescription for the best way to
keep such an impressive collection?
I keep all the wines at 52 degrees. n
When Dr. Sergio González-Arias is not seeing patients or teaching at FIU, he’s tending to his Napa winery, Soñador
The DOcTOR behIND The DReAm
24 | SPRING 2012
A sunset stroll in Doug Gallagher’s Napa
olive grove calls for a Montelena
sauvignon blanc.
For a philosophical discourse on what
makes a great entrepreneur, the founder
of a global software company pours a
2005 special cuvée cabernet from his
winery, Soñador.
Turn to talk of politics and this one-time
U.S. Senate candidate brings out the wine he
served at his son’s wedding, a 2007 Domaine
Serene pinot noir.
When you love wine as Doug Gallagher MS ’77
does, pairing it with food is just the beginning.
Wine can be the perfect accompaniment
to any event or it can be the event
itself, as it was this fall when Gallagher
welcomed me and FIU Marketing
Director Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00
into his St. Helena home for an evening
of fine wine and conversation.
“Wine is a passion of mine,” said Gallagher, who earned
a master’s degree in FIU’s College of
Business Administration. “It’s part of my life and I want to share it with others.”
I wasn’t sure we’d be able to
connect with Gallagher during his
harvest season hiatus in Napa. It was his
last weekend in California before heading
home to South Miami, and he was busy
packing. Earlier in the day, he’d hosted
students from the Culinary Institute of
America for a wine tasting.
However, when we arrived, he’d set out
manchego, brie and swiss with Rustic Bakery
cheddar sticks and whole grain flatbread.
A buffet table was spread with all variety
of stemware. Gallagher greeted us warmly,
poured the Montelena and invited us to his
back porch where the October sun was
setting over cascading terraces of tomatoes,
pomegranates and olive trees in his garden.
Now retired, Gallagher spends four months
each year in Napa Valley so he can be involved
with the harvest for his wine. He lives the
Napa lifestyle when he’s there, making meals
from the day’s produce and dining at Napa’s
famously fabulous restaurants where he has
gotten to know the local chefs.
He clearly delights in treating his guests to
Napa’s bounty. Later that evening, he served
us red and gold heirloom tomatoes from his
garden with basil and aged balsamic from the
farmer’s market. He encouraged us to taste
them with the Soñador cabernet, which earned
90 points from Wine Spectator.
Wow. “So that’s what a tomato tastes
like!” Merille joked.
About 10 years ago, Gallagher and FIU
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Professor Sergio González-Arias (see profile
page 23) decided to start a boutique winery in
Napa. They called it “Soñador,” the dreamer.
They began by buying grapes from Jan
Krupp at Stagecoach Vineyards and then
hired Bruce Devlin as their winemaker, which
gave them access to more vineyards. Today,
Soñador produces 300 cases of one cabernet
per year sold for $50-$60 a bottle in California,
Nevada, New York, Washington, D.C., North
Carolina and Florida. Each year, they donate a
dozen or so cases of Soñador wine to various
charities for auctions.
“What’s been most interesting about
being involved in the winemaking process
is being able to understand everything from
viticulture in the vineyard to what happens
in the fermenting process,” Gallagher said.
“There’s a lot of chemistry to winemaking and there is also
a lot of risk management involved in winemaking.”
Risk management is a subject
Gallagher knows plenty about. In 1985,
he quit an executive vice president’s
job when the company owner laid out
new compensation terms that were
unacceptable to Gallagher.
Some might call it crazy to walk
away from a job – any job – when
you’re a 35-year-old married father
of four boys. But Gallagher had a
different idea. This time around, he
decided he would work for himself.
In 1985, he founded Gallagher
Financial Systems, a company that made
software for mortgage lending institutions.
His company streamlined burdensome
mortgage lending paperwork into an
electronic process that eliminated 80
percent or more of the pre-printed forms
and provided laser printed replacement
documents. His clients included JPMorgan
Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo. At its peak
in 2005, Gallagher Financial employed 175.
In 2007, Gallagher saw the subprime
mortgage lending crisis unfolding and decided
to sell the company he’d built from the
TALKING wINe, poLITIcs & BUsINess wITh
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09 I PHoToS By EDUARDo MERILLE ’97, MBA ‘00
Doug Gallagher and FIU Magazine Editor Deborah O’Neil enjoy a Montelena sauvignon blanc.
DoUG GALLAGher GO.FIU.EDU/GALLAGHER
SPRING 2012 | 25
ground up. Gallagher Financial Systems was
purchased in 2008 by Wipro, a global IT giant
and Fortune 50 company. The software and
technology solutions he pioneered are now
Wipro Gallagher Solutions, used by 25 leading
banks around the U.S. and Australia.
These days, he is writing a book about
his 23 years as an entrepreneur. He’s even
come up with a catchy title for the book:
Anomalytics.
“What it takes to be a successful
entrepreneur is somewhat counter
intuitive,” he said. “Most think that the reason someone forms a company is to make money. That’s not the case. I would refute anyone who would say Steve Jobs did what he did for money. It’s about having a passion for an idea.”
Gallagher did some unconventional things
as a CEO. To make sure everyone was
focused on the client and encouraged to
innovate, his executives didn’t have titles.
Gallagher fostered a workplace culture that
was supportive of his employees’ family time.
For every year of service, his employees
received an extra paid vacation day to be
used around the holidays.
“The idea was to provide each staff
member with an incentive to be with their
family,” he said. “I’m a believer that if people
are given the ability to manage their own time,
the results in productivity will far exceed what
you expect to get from the normal process of
close supervision and management.”
Born and raised in Delaware, Gallagher
comes from a family with a strong
commitment to public service. His father was
mayor of Wilmington, Del. His older brother,
Tom Gallagher, a three-time gubernatorial
candidate, has held three Florida Cabinet
offices: insurance commissioner, education
commissioner and chief financial officer.
A lifelong Republican with a thoughtful
approach to fiscal conservatism, Gallagher
has twice run for public office and lost,
most recently the 2004 U.S. Senate race.
He campaigned as a family man and
businessman who could introduce fresh
ideas to politics.
“Our family has a culture of believing
service is a worthwhile endeavor,” he said. “I
believe it’s important for people to be involved
in the political process.”
Right about then – somewhere after the
pinot noir and a debate on the electability of
GOP candidates – Gallagher brought to the
table dark chocolate covered wine grapes.
With those jewels before us, any difference
of opinion about the upcoming presidential
election melted away. Gallagher sure knows
how to win over hearts and minds.
Over the years, Gallagher’s wine
collection has grown from a few hundred to
a 10,000-bottle cellar. He jokes that he has
enough wine to throw a party every night for
the rest of his life without running out. “My
friends always tell me they never have a bad
bottle of wine with me.”
The gracious host had one last surprise
before we left, a Spanish sherry neither
Merille nor I had ever tried. It was a 1972
Don PX, a thick and sweet, molasses and
caramel wine that we will long remember, not
merely for the wine’s astonishing decadence
but for the occasion.
As Gallagher served us, he mused aloud,
“You always wonder with wine, do you save the best for last or bring it out first?” n
DoUG GALLAGher
By Michelle Locke
Sitting in the plushly decorated formal
salon of Opus One, Yasko Cadby ’86 is the
picture of tranquil elegance as she talks
about the shaky start to her new job as Japan
export manager for the prestigious Napa
Valley winery.
She was apartment hunting in Tokyo on
March 11, 2011, when the devastating Tohoku
earthquake struck. “I was on the 21st floor
and the earthquake hit and it was, ‘Do I want
to come here?’” she recalls.
The answer was “Yes,” and Cadby took on
her new duties overseeing markets in Japan
and South Korea in June – fortunately with
few tremors of the business variety.
Cadby doesn’t really have to sell the
wine. Opus One, the brand founded in 1979
by California wine pioneer Robert Mondavi
and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of France,
is wildly popular both in the United States
and Asia. (Constellation Brands, Inc.,
purchased Robert Mondavi Corp., assuming
50 percent ownership of Opus One in 2005.)
It’s not unusual for the winery to get a call
from someone trying to put in an order for
10,000 cases, a flattering but impossible
request since it’s about half the winery’s
annual production.
Her job is to make sure people
understand the product. “At the restaurant
we just don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, we
want Opus One,’” she says. “We want them
to say, ‘Oh, I like the 2005 Opus One as
opposed to 2007 because ’05 is a little bit
more of a reserved style.’ That’s the level of
communication we want and to do that we
need to educate sommeliers.”
On a sunny day in the Napa Valley, the
Opus One winery is a symphony of good
impressions, from the sweep of green
vineyards leading up to the winery to the mix
of soothing – but not soporific – music playing
over outdoor speakers. That last item is no
accident. As coordinator of guest relations
here, Cadby pulled out her own CDs to help
liven up the music selection.
Paying attention to detail is a key part of
the Opus One experience, says Cadby.
“Even when I come here now, I feel the
sense of urgency,” she says. “Your back
A SinGulAr PurSuiTof EXCEllEnCE
Opus One export manager Yasko Cadby ’86 keeps an eye on the big picture and the little details
26 | SPRING 2012
needs to be straight.”
The winery, which makes only Bordeaux
blends, primarily cabernet sauvignon, is
famous for its distinctive architecture, in
particular a rotunda set low to the ground
and surrounded by a grassy berm, part of
a conscious effort to create something that
complements rather than contrasts with
its environs.
The slender and soft-spoken Cadby
is one of the few U.S. winery
representatives in Asia. She’s also a
woman executive in a climate that
isn’t as male-dominated as it used
to be, but can still be conservative.
But it doesn’t take more than few
minutes of conversation to see
the expertise and enthusiasm that
drive her– and a delightful sense
of humor, too. Should she need to
be assertive in a negotiation she
occasionally brings out her secret
weapon: Saying “No” politely but
firmly in English. “They understand,”
she says with a smile.
Cadby, who was born and raised
in Japan, didn’t start out expecting
to be managing the finer points of
high-end wine, or any wine for that
matter. After getting a business
degree from Sophia University in
Tokyo she wasn’t quite sure what
she wanted to do, but she knew
she was interested in the airline
travel industry. She looked at a few
schools but finally settled on FIU
because it was one of the few at the time
offering a hospitality management program
– with the added bonus of being in a warm
weather climate.
Her interest in wine came via a class
in wine education led by Professor Chip
Cassidy, well-known as a mentor to many in
the wine world.
“What I learned from him was his passion
for wine,” she says. “The wine’s not just to
drink. Wine has a lot of history and you’ve
got to also understand its agriculture, its
chemistry, its biology, all these things. I was
so fascinated by this.”
Cassidy is “very good at pulling
everybody’s ability and making them grow
into the next step,” says Cadby. Even today,
when she’s feeling tired or at a loss, she’ll call
Cassidy for help and “just talking to him, my
energy level goes up.”
Another avenue into the world of wine
came through her job as a Japanese-English
translator for Florida Power & Light Co. She
often went along to local restaurants to
translate for visiting executives from Japan,
which naturally segued into helping them
decipher the wine list once they discovered
her expertise.
After getting her degree in hospitality
management, Cadby started graduate studies
but left that for full-time work, and ultimately,
a move to the burgeoning California wine
scene. She got married, had two daughters,
both now in college, took a little bit of a break
in her career and then began taking wine
classes and working as a freelance writer and
translator. Interestingly, she learned wine first
in English and had to turn around and re-learn
the terminology in Japanese.
Her job at Opus One started casually
as an on-call employee. But by 2007 she
was working full-time as guest relations
coordinator. In 2011, she took on the export
manager job, although she still visits the
U.S. frequently.
This harvest, she spent a week
in the United States that included
getting up at 3 a.m. to experience
night harvesting, which is something
wineries do to keep grapes cooler and
fresher. It made for some long days,
but it’s all part of the task of learning
how to communicate the whole story
behind Opus One wine. “The goal is
when people talk about Opus One it’s
because of the quality of the wine, not
because of the brand name,” she says.
Showing visitors around the familiar
rooms, Cadby stops at some of her
favorite places, like the salon, with
its mix of 18th-century Italian opera
chairs and contemporary seating, and
the tasting room, bathed in a soft light
at day’s end. The cellar is another
treasured spot with its rows of pristine
barrels all meticulously painted with
red wine around the middle – no untidy
splashes of red wine here.
In the end, it’s the details, and the
passion for getting them right, that
count, she says.
“So many things need to be clicking in your
head. You have to have a passion otherwise
it will be a pain. You have to work weekends.
You have to work nights. You have to get up
early. You have a lot of ‘you have tos.’ If you
have that passion, you want to do it and that
passion makes everything easy.” n
Michelle Locke is a freelance wine writer in California.
SPRING 2012 | 27
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09 PHoToS By EDUARDo MERILLE ’97, MBA ’00
28 | SPRING 2012
GO.FIU.EDU/kEYS
dUffY KeYS ’75 BLeNdS
trAditioN, ArtiStiC
iNterPretAtioN ANd
the fiNeSt iNGredieNtS
At hiS B CeLLArS WiNerY
SPRING 2012 | 29
For years, Duffy Keys ’75 kept a home in California’s wine
country while he traveled the world as a senior executive at
The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Already a fine dining
connoisseur, Keys began thinking about wine as the natural
next chapter of his career.
Keys was at a Fourth of July barbecue in 2003 extolling what his
own winery might look like when he met Jim Borsack, the co-owner
and senior vice president of El Portal, a global chain of designer
leather stores. Also a food and wine lover, Borsack had just planted 20
acres of cabernet on his Temecula property.
By the end of 2003, the two became business partners combining
their business, food and wine expertise to launch B Cellars. Their
winery in upper Napa Valley’s historic Calistoga sits on 22 acres, eight
of which are planted with cabernet, cab franc and merlot.
“I spent 30 years eating and drinking in all parts of the world,
working for the finest luxury hotel company in the world, The
Four Seasons,” said Keys, a graduate of FIU’s Chaplin School of
Hospitality and Tourism Management. “What I learned there can
be translated to wine – it’s about ingredients and processes and
excellence. It is doing the very simplest things exceptionally well
every day.”
B Cellars wines are modeled on the French blending tradition, with
a contemporary approach. The winery procures grapes from Napa
Valley’s most coveted vineyards including To Kalon, Dr. Crane, Caldwell,
Williamson Ranch, Juliana, Maldonado, Star, Stagecoach and Lewelling
for their four proprietary blends and small-batch single varietals.
“You have to figure out how you are going to differentiate yourself,”
Keys said. “One of the things that sets B Cellars apart is that all of
Napa Valley is our terroir.”
Today, B Cellars wines can be found in the best restaurants and wine
shops in 19 states. Their distributor in a half-dozen states is American
Wines, the fine wine division of Southern Wine and Spirits, owned by
the Chaplin family, namesake of the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management. B Cellars wines range in price from $55 for
their blends to $145 for their limited releases.
Robert Parker, the world’s most famous wine critic, highlighted
B Cellars wines in his Best of Northern California 2007, 2006, 2005
review: “Jim Borsack and Duffy Keys have hired Kirk Venge as their
consulting winemaker, and the wines are clearly made in a fruit-
forward style that should satisfy consumers and restaurants looking for
immediate drinkability.”
“Our objective is to be in the top five or six steak houses, Italian
restaurants and fish houses that are the stalwart in every community,”
Keys said. “We want to be in the top three or four country clubs and
wine shops in a community. If we do that, the rest becomes almost
viral. It takes care of itself.”
FIU Magazine spent an afternoon with Duffy Keys at B Cellars,
touring the vineyard and winery. Keys explained their approach to
winemaking and how the lessons he learned at The Four Seasons have
shaped the success of B Cellars.
30 | SPRING 2012
IN THE BEGINNINGKeys and Borsack shared a vision for their wines, but to bring it to life, they
needed a winemaker and they needed fruit. They set their sights on the best of
both, but breaking into California’s close-knit winemaking world was not easy.
“When we first got started we had a guy out of the luggage business and
one from the hotel business,” Keys said. “We told them we were taking enology
and viticulture classes at UC Davis. They were not impressed. The growers were
saying to us, ‘I have a reputation. If I am going to sell you this fruit, who is going
to make your wine?’ Meanwhile, the winemakers wanted to know where we were
going to get our fruit.”
Well connected after more than 20 years in the luxury hotel industry, Keys, with
some help from Borsack, leveraged their professional relationships to open doors
in the Valley. Through legendary winemaker Nils Venge they were able to make a
connection with Nils’ son Kirk Venge to become B Cellars’ master winemaker. Nils
was the first American winemaker to earn a perfect 100 score from Robert Parker.
Kirk was named one of the Top 20 New Winemakers in the World in 2005 by Food
& Wine magazine.
Keys muses, “The adage, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’ is evident in
the production of every vintage of B Cellars since inception.”
With Venge as the B Cellars winemaker, the renowned Beckstoffer Vineyards
signed on as well.
“The Wall Street Journal recently called Andy Beckstoffer the most powerful
person in Napa,” Keys said. “The point they were making was what goes on in the
vineyard is really the driving force behind what’s in the bottle. Between Nils and
Kirk Venge and having access to three of Beckstoffer’s champion vineyards, the
rest was a lot easier.”
One school of winemaking is single vineyard
varietal. In that model, a winery owns a vineyard of,
say, cabernet. Every year, they bottle the cabernet that
comes off their estate. B Cellars signature wines are
blends, but they also produce single vineyard wines
from Beckstoffer’s pedigreed Dr. Crane, To Kalon and
George III vineyards.
“There aren’t many producers who get access to
these vineyards,” Keys said. “It’s a way for us also to
dimensionalize ourselves to show people that while our
blended wines speak for themselves, we also can make
a single vineyard varietal wine and hit it out of the park.”
The French, on the other hand, have been blending
wines for centuries. Keys and Borsack were drawn to
the French style of winemaking but found it limiting.
“They blend Bordeaux with Bordeaux, Rhône with
Rhône, Burgundy with Burgundy. That’s their Old World
tradition,” Keys said. “We said, ‘We can do anything we
want.’ What happens if you paired a Rhône varietal with
Bordeaux? A Bordeaux with a Burgundy?”
They began experimenting with finished wines from
great winemakers – great producers of syrah, cabernet
sauvignon, sangiovese, chardonnay, viogniers.
“What we learned from that process is we can capture
layers of flavors in a bottle that is impossible to get in
the approach of a single vineyard varietal,” Keys said.
WHAT IF...?
SPRING 2012 | 31 Continues next page
32 | SPRING 2012
The spirit of B Cellars wines – rooted in tradition
but not bound by it – encourages innovation in the
winemaking process.
Keys was in Italy working on a hotel and winery
project a few years ago when he was introduced
to a winemaking process called the Ripasso
method. Sangiovese was pressed off the skins
and the grape skins were kept in the cellar. Once
the sangiovese was fully fermented, it was poured
over the grape skins. The resulting sangiovese had
a deeper color and soft mouth feel.
Back in California, after the first vintage where
they replicated this process on sangiovese; Keys,
Venge and Borsack started to consider the next
year’s vintage. Why not try the Ripasso method,
with a B Cellars twist?
“Because we aren’t bound by any method,
we said, ‘What if we use the Ripasso method
on the sangiovese, but take it a step further and
introduce the skins of the petite sirah into the
mix?’” Venge said. “The petite sirah skin is very
thick, very sturdy. It also delivers this rich ruby
purple color while adding structure and more
subtle tannins. So, we incorporated this approach
into the second vintage production of our Blend
24 and the result was AMAZING.”
Between the traditional Ripasso method for the
sangiovese and the inclusion of petite sirah skins
into the sangiovese fermentation process, the
Blend 24 transitioned into what they refer to as a
“Napa Valley inspired” Super Tuscan – unique to B
Cellars. The wine has a distinct flavor profile with
rich tannins, bright acidity and velvety mouth feel.
They have used it for Blend 24 every year
thereafter. Robert Parker gave the 2007 and
2008 vintages ratings of 90 and 91 points. He
described the B Cellars 2006 sangiovese as “one
of the finest wines I have tasted from this varietal.
It comes across as a distinctly Rhône-like red,
displaying black fruit, earth, strawberry, red cherry,
new saddle leather and olive characteristics in its
spicy personality.”
CREATIVE INTERPRETATION
Guests enjoy the gardens surrounding the B Cellars tasting room. Jim Borsack, co-founder of B Cellars
SPRING 2012 | 33
The Four Seasons operates five-star hotels
around the world where every detail of the
customer experience is executed to the
highest standards. Keys has brought the same
approach to his wine business.
“Our view is in order to make the very best
you can’t cut corners,” he said. “French
oak barrels cost $1,200, so a lot of wineries
choose a less costly approach. They cost
less, but the flavor delivery is noticeably
different. All of our oak barrels are from
France, except for our barrels for sangiovese
that come from Hungary.”
They developed the B Cellars branding system
around the idea of ingredients. They were the
first to put the wine’s components on the front,
instead of the back of the bottle. For instance,
a customer who buys the 2007 Blend 24 will
easily see that it is made up of 40 percent
cabernet sauvignon, 30 percent sangiovese and
30 percent petite sirah.
The B in B Cellars represents brix, a
measurement of a grape’s sugar at harvest.
So, B Cellars wines are named sequentially
(Blend 23, Blend 24, Blend 25 and Blend 26)
signifying that the grapes were harvested at the
sweet spot of optimal ripeness for their style
of wines. As Mercedes and BMW have already
demonstrated, the numbered brand system
appeals to customers.
Says Keys: “It goes to one of our other points
of view about wine: It’s not all the mystery that’s
important. It’s what you like that counts."” n
ONLY THE BEST
34 | SPRING 2012
the keyingredient
FIU honors Chaplin family with naming of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
By Martin Haro ’05 I Photo by Ivan Santiago ’00 and Gloria O’connell
Father and son Harvey and Wayne Chaplin
In 1996, FIU’s resident wine expert Chip
Cassidy ’75 approached Miami-based
Southern Wine & Spirits of America with
an idea.
Let’s build a beverage management center
at the School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management, he proposed. There, FIU
could train the next generation of hospitality
specialists on the science of analyzing, testing
and experiencing the finest wines, spirits,
beers and other beverages in the world. The
Chaplin family, owners of Southern Wine, saw
promise and gave the project their support.
“It was an intriguing idea because there
really wasn’t a program like it anywhere that
incorporated wine and spirits
education into the mix,” said
Wayne E. Chaplin, Southern
Wine’s president and chief
operating officer. “We believed it
was a great move for us, for FIU
and for the community.”
The initial gift by the Chaplin
family has grown into a public-
private success story that has put the
university’s program at the forefront of
hospitality education worldwide. Earlier this
year, FIU honored the partnership when it
announced that the Biscayne Bay Campus
(BBC) program would now be known as the
Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management. The naming of the school
in honor of the Chaplins is a result of the
continued support they have offered FIU for
the past 16 years. A nationally recognized
wine and spirits distributor with 12,000
employees, Southern Wine operates in 35
states and has corporate headquarters
in Miami.
“Southern Wine & Spirits and the Chaplins
are passionate supporters of FIU and the
superior hospitality management education
we offer students from all over the world,”
said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.
“This naming recognizes that commitment
and augurs an even stronger partnership
going forward.”
“This is a beautiful honor,” said Harvey
Chaplin, the company’s chairman and CEO,
who is the recipient of an honorary doctoral
degree from FIU. “We definitely appreciate it.”
In addition to the Southern Wine & Spirits
Beverage Management Center, the Chaplins
supported the establishment of the Harvey R.
Chaplin Eminent Scholar Chair in beverage
management and the creation of an FIU wine
and food festival.
Today, Professor Barry Gump still holds
the Eminent Chair’s position, the only one
in the country; the school’s facilities at
BBC are undergoing a $7 million upgrade;
and, under the leadership of Lee Schrager,
the Food Network South Beach Wine &
Food Festival has grown into one of the
biggest events of its kind in the country.
In fact, many of the improvements to the
classrooms and labs at the school are being
paid for with proceeds from the annual
event. The festival has returned more
than $16 million to the Chaplin School of
Hospitality and Tourism Management, much
of it for student scholarships.
The Chaplins, Dean Mike Hampton
acknowledges, have been incredibly generous
to FIU and to the school. Their contributions
have helped attract high-profile industry
talent, such as Michelle Bernstein, Robert
Irvine and chef Allen Susser ’78, to speak to
FIU students. They also have made in-kind
donations to the school’s programs and given
of their time.
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival has
benefitted the school in other ways as well.
This year, more than 1,100 FIU students
were involved in the preparation, staging and
execution of the event. They did everything
from securing city permits and building sets to
preparing food alongside celebrity chefs and
serving the thousands who flock to the four-
day bacchanalia.
“The Chaplins designated us as the co-
host direct beneficiary of the festival,”
Hampton said. “We couldn’t have asked for
a better partnership opportunity and learning
environment for our students.”
As Harvey Chaplin remembers it, aligning
Southern Wine’s efforts with FIU’s was a
daring corporate move.
“I don’t think an alcoholic beverage company
had supported a Florida university before, and
none of us ever dreamed that we would end
up where we have,” he said. “It really has
been a wonderful ride.”
Wayne Chaplin echoes his father’s
satisfaction with the relationship, calling it
a truly incredible public-private success.
“The way we have been able to support
FIU and help build the hospitality
school into something that is not only a
community gem but an entity that has
had and continues to have an impact on our
industry,” he said, “we’re proud of that.”
In 2010-’11, the Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management conferred 625
bachelor’s and master’s degrees, nearly
double the number of degrees students
earned in 2002-’03. For the Chaplins, the
school’s work is a priority. Wayne Chaplin
says supporting FIU helps create a pool of
talent that’s well educated in every aspect of
the industry.
“Obviously, because of who we are, we
want candidates to be knowledgeable
about the beverage industry and for FIU
to be recognized in that area, too,” he
said. “FIU graduates go into the workforce
understanding the beverage game better than
a lot of their peers.”
It is due in part to the vote of confidence
the Chaplins gave FIU and its School of
Hospitality and Tourism Management that
the program is one of the country’s most well
regarded. Wayne Chaplin is confident one day
soon FIU will become the gold standard. n
“We believed it was a great move for us, for FIU and for
the community.”
SPRING 2012 | 35
36 | SPRING 2012
SPRING 2012 | 37
the ChAPLiN SChooL of hoSPitALitY ANd toUriSm mANAGemeNt iS PoSitioNiNG itSeLf AS A LeAder iN food ANd SCieNCe reSeArCh
For more than a year since Mike Hampton became the dean
of the Chaplin School of Hospitality Management, he has
been examining a critical question: How can the school
build on its widely acknowledged excellence to distinguish
itself in this highly competitive field? The university’s research
mission is helping to shape the answer.
Hampton, who came to FIU in 2011 with more than 20 years of
experience in the industry, recently shared his vision for the school.
describe the future of the Chaplin School of hospitality
and tourism management.
Conceptually, the school is positioned to become a food and
beverage science epicenter that would house a data repository
and clearinghouse for food, wine, beer and spirits information and
research. It would be replete with customized scientific laboratories,
sensory evaluation rooms, production and processing facilities, a
biological conservatory and greenhouses.
So research will become central to the school’s mission?
Exactly. Food and beverage science research will serve as a
platform for interdisciplinary cooperation in chemistry, biology,
geology, meteorology, nutrition, health sciences and in medicine. It
is likely that our research would be eligible for significant funding
from external and federal sources.
Give us an example of the kinds of questions food and
beverage scientists study.
I’ll give you an example that was featured in Time Magazine
recently about ongoing research into food preservation, which is a
critical issue for disaster relief and humanitarian efforts related to
famine. Following massive natural disasters, crops are destroyed,
stores are gone and transportation routes are limited. So how do
we feed people who are affected by disasters or by famine? They
can distribute “Meals Ready to Eat,” the dehydrated MREs that U.S.
soldiers eat out in the field. But those are pretty awful, so there’s a
By Deborah o’Neil MA ’09 I Photo by Doug Garland ’10
Continues next page
desire to improve the quality of the food.
Food scientists are looking at new ways to
preserve food so that the essence of the
food remains intact with optimum nutrition.
At the same time, that food has to be
packaged so that it can be transported in
crisis zones and easily distributed to feed
hungry people.
This is one example of the kinds of
important issues we can address with
scholarly research in food sciences.
Another example in beverage sciences
would be research on yeast and
fermentation optimization for beer and
wine. We can also do research on new
wine, beer and spirits products and how to
make them palatable to new and emerging
markets around the world
how does the new teaching
restaurant fit in?
It will play a very important role in the
growth of the school. The restaurant
is an educational environment that is
unparalleled. It is a teaching laboratory
that will enable new research and learning
opportunities on such things as service
techniques or new product testing. For
instance, our students could test market
a new beverage product during one of our
open luncheons. Our students will learn
how to better manage restaurants, better
interface with customers and achieve
greater efficiencies. The new facility also will
have a state-of-the-art beverage science
laboratory where faculty and students
will be able to do research on product
innovation and product design.
Why did you decide to go in
this direction?
We did an assessment of growth
opportunities and found that there is
significant demand for education and
research in the field of beverage science.
That is especially true in the immediate
service market for FIU. Major food and
beverage companies, like Diageo, Brown
Forman, Quirch, Burger King, Goya and
several key coffee roasters have regional
and headquarters offices in Miami; and
while their operations and marketing
efforts are coordinated in South Florida,
their research and development activities
are maintained or drawn from elsewhere,
often for lack of local resources.
An important consideration was being
able to utilize and capitalize on the
school’s existing core competencies and
strengths, such as infrastructure, faculty,
staff and facilities. For example, we have
an extensive array of food production
laboratories and demonstration kitchens
that have excellent capacity for increased
utilization. We’ve assembled an impressive
collection of faculty with expertise in food
production, wine, beer and spirits.
What we see is that the school can
contribute to academia and to industry
through scientific study that builds upon
the well-founded framework and facilities
already in place.
What about students who are really
seeking qualifications so they can break
into the hospitality industry?
We’ve always provided outstanding
industry education and job placement for
our students and that will not change. All
of the major hospitality corporations in
the world like Marriott, Hyatt and Carnival
recruit our students because they are so
well prepared for the careers.
What we are going to do is give students
even more opportunities. For instance, we
38 | SPRING 2012
Continued
are exploring partnerships with universities
in Italy and Argentina that have viticulture
programs. So all of our students, as well as
those studying beverage science, would be
able to study abroad in the key wine regions of
the world. They will understand the beverage
industry from the perspective of a global
marketplace.
We will offer a certificate in culinary arts
and, of course, accept students from other
culinary arts programs like Johnson & Wales
and Le Cordon Bleu. What we can offer
those students is the opportunity to learn
management in our bachelor’s program.
While they are here, they might get interested
in molecular gastronomy by studying with
one of our food science researchers. Our
graduate programs will give them the skills
to pursue advanced positions in food and
beverage product analysis, design, innovation,
development and production.
how will plans for the school’s growth
distinguish fiU from other programs?
We are often compared to other hospitality
schools like Cornell. However, we are not
trying to be like Cornell, an excellent program
that is different than ours. The FIU model of
hospitality education will be in niche areas
where we already have a strong foundation.
We will become recognized as a worldwide
leader in food and beverage science and
management.
how will your vision take shape in the
coming years?
It is already taking shape with the
construction of the new teaching restaurant
and with some strategic faculty hiring in food
sciences. We will work with our partners like
Southern Wine & Spirits and Diageo to develop
research programs that advance the industry
and provide our students with unique learning
opportunities. We are shifting completely in a
new direction. It’s going to create a dynamic
program that nothing else comes close to. n
PrePPING THe FUTUreA new teaching restaurant in the Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management will strengthen the school’s growing
research in food, beer and spirits and sharpen its focus on building
management skills.
The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will feature an intelligent
2,500-square-foot kitchen that will allow those in the kitchen to see
what’s happening in the dining room. The high-tech kitchen is designed
to help students look strategically at how restaurants operate so they
can learn high-level management skills.
The kitchen also will have a new 650-square-foot brewing science lab.
Professor Barry Gump has run the school’s brewing science program
for the past five years, basically out of a small room converted into a
lab. He says this physical expansion will usher in not only an expansion
of the program, but also more research and greener practices as well.
“I’m thrilled to pieces about it,” he said.
The restaurant’s 4,200-square-foot dining room will feature a glass-
enclosed 260-square-foot, two-story wine tower with cellaring for some
1,500 bottles. The tower can host VIP dinners for 12, and will bridge the
center and the rest of the teaching areas. At the other end of the room
will be a full working bar.
The $5 million upgrade is being paid for with money raised during the
first decade of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
“We will have a state-of-the-art teaching restaurant and brewing
science lab,” said Dean Mike Hampton. “No one in our region is doing
food research or wine, beer, spirits research. We’re in Miami, and we will
have all the tools we will need to become the hub in the southeast for
this type of education and research.”
SPRING 2012 | 39
40 | SPRING 2012
Patrick “Chip” Cassidy ’75 was
barely out of high school when
he first tasted one of the world’s
venerable wines, a 1959 Château Lafite
Rothschild. Even then, the young man
who grew up to become one of the
country’s beloved wine experts – and do
business with the Baron Eric
de Rothschild – knew it
was exceptional.
It was New Year’s Eve
1967, and the Long
Island teen was about
to ship off to Vietnam.
He attended a party
at the home of his
friend Richie Prisco,
whose father was an
orthopedic surgeon
with an impressive wine
cellar. Cassidy spotted
the Lafite and told his
friend, “That’s one of
the world’s greatest
wines.” To their surprise,
Prisco’s dad let them
open the bottle.
Cassidy remembers the Lafite
knocked his socks off. That
tasting was the beginning
of a lifetime of teaching,
savoring and sharing wine as
a merchant with Crown Wine & Spirits and
faculty member in the Chaplin School of
Hospitality and Tourism Management. Until
recently, Cassidy was the wine director for
Crown with a list of devoted customers
including Julio Iglesias, Matt Dillon and
Hunter Reno.
Today, he’s celebrated in wine circles
not merely for his expertise, but also for
the joy he brings to teaching students
and customers about wine. Twenty
years ago, Miami Herald wine critic Fred
Tasker dubbed him, “the universally
acknowledged wine guru of South Florida,
the nation’s third biggest wine market after
California and New York.”
Wall Street Journal wine writers Dorothy
J. Gaiter and John Brecher named him in
2000 “a model of a great wine merchant.”
Their description of Cassidy the merchant
could just as easily be Cassidy the
professor.
“Chip is very knowledgeable about
wine, but that’s not what makes him
special,” they wrote. “What always drew
us to Chip was in his flat-out enthusiasm
for the subject.”
The Wall Street Journal made note of
his refreshingly unpretentious way with
wine: “I don’t think he ever said anything
to us like, ‘You’ll enjoy the bramble-like
bouquet of this wine.’ Instead he says
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ‘09 I PHoTo By ANGEL VALENTíN
40 | SPRING 2012
GO.FIU.EDU/cHIP
SPRING 2012 | 41
things like, ‘This wine will blow your
head off!’ ”
Napa Valley rare and fine wine expert
Gence Alton ’02, one of Cassidy’s former
students, says, “He has the humility that
only genuine lovers of wine are capable of
acquiring in this realm. He is as down-to-
earth as wine itself gets, a trait that a lot of
people in the business tend to lack.”
Anybody can learn to appreciate wine,
says Cassidy. He quotes the renowned
wine expert Alexis Lichine: “When it comes
to wine, I tell people to throw
away the vintage charts and
invest in a corkscrew. The
best way to learn about wine
is the drinking.”
“You just have to practice,”
Cassidy said. “Your parents
never taught you about your
palate, did they? That’s what
I do. I get people really thinking about
themselves. I get them in a frame of mind
so they really want to learn this, achieve
this. I put them on the path.”
Cassidy has led FIU’s wine program
at the Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management since 1984.
His wine courses provide a broad
understanding of wine as a cultural
institution and business, set in the context
of world history. He also teaches them
how to drink wine – smelling, swirling and
spitting a variety of wines in every class.
Cassidy’s former students work in some
of the world’s top wineries, restaurants,
distributors, hotels and resorts. The scores
of students he has mentored credit him
with teaching them to appreciate wine and
opening doors for their careers.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do
with my life when I started at FIU,” said
Stephanie Honig ’97, who went to work
for Clicquot, Inc. after graduating from
the School of Hospitality. “I took Chip’s
wine class and I was really fascinated
by wine and by him. Chip became my
mentor. He had me sitting in meetings with
distributors. He had me tasting wine all the
time. I realized I really wanted to get into
the wine business.”
Long after they graduate, Cassidy‘s
former students still call on him for advice.
“Not only did Chip mentor me through
my FIU years, but he was also there for
me after graduation and beyond,” says
Alton. “He remains the wind beneath my
wings. I am proud to be a ‘Chipster’ as
his lifelong protégés in this small business
affectionately call him.”
Just as Cassidy has served his students,
he has helped the university’s hospitality
program grow and mature into one of
the best in the country. In 1997, Cassidy
worked with Southern Wine & Spirits
of America to launch an FIU food and
wine festival. That event is now the
internationally renowned Food Network
South Beach Wine & Food Festival,
attracting more than 50,000 visitors every
February and raising millions for FIU. The
university awarded Cassidy the 2006
Excellence in Service Award, citing the
festival in his lengthy record of service.
He travels the world tasting 5,000
wines per year and judging top wine
competitions. Among his many accolades:
The 2000 European Wine Council’s
Ambassador’s Award and Market Watch
Retailer of the Year.
Cassidy’s connections in the wine world
are far and wide, from winemakers to
wine writers and wine sellers. In talking
about French wine during class last fall,
he regaled students with stories of his
encounters with France’s most famous
wine families. Later in his life, Baron
Philippe de Rothschild did business from
his bed in the Château
Mouton Rothschild in
Bordeaux. So Cassidy
visited with the baron in
his private quarters.
“No matter what room
you went into in his house,
there was a pad and a
dozen sharp pencils.”
Cassidy said. “He said if he had an idea
he always wanted to write it down and he
didn’t want to have to look for paper. He
was unbelievable.”
He also has spent time with Baron Eric
de Rothschild, maker of Château Lafite,
the wine that first made him think, “If I
want to drink wines like this, I have to get
into the wine business.”
Years after that first Lafite, he and Eric
de Rothschild shared a 1937 Château
d’Yquem together, one of the greatest
vintages of the legendary wine known
as “liquid gold.” A photo of Cassidy,
Rothschild and the late Jay Weiss of
Southern Wine hangs in Cassidy’s office.
“I tell my students, ‘I can’t say I ever
made a lot of money, but boy I’ve
had the greatest life you could ever
imagine,’” Cassidy said. “Wine is a great,
great business.” n
The scores of students he has mentored credit him with teaching
them to appreciate wine and opening doors for their career.
At 32, FIU alumna Cynthia Betancourt ’06
is preparing to become the country’s first
Hispanic woman to earn the prestigious
title of master sommelier from the Court of
Masters. When it comes to wine experts,
there is no finer vintage than that. After all,
there are only 186 people in the entire world
with this distinction. Only 17 of them happen
to be women. To be counted among them is
a dream Betancourt began cultivating while
studying at FIU.
It was here she found herself engrossed by
introductory wine courses. The trained chef
would soon trade in her apron for a decanter.
Since then, she was named Best Young
Sommelier in a recent competition sponsored
by Les Chaînes des Rôtisseurs, the world’s
oldest international gastronomic society,
and has worked at some of South Florida’s
premiere restaurants. In 2007, she was named
wine director of Azul at the Mandarin Oriental
on Brickell Key where, until recently, she
oversaw a collection of 500 bottles. She has
traveled the world honing a delicate palate that
can discern the subtlest of distinctions.
A certified advanced sommelier, soon she’ll
start studying four hours a day, every day for
her three-part master sommelier test. It’ll take
two years for her to be completely ready to
tackle the blind wine tastings and rigorous
theoretical exam about droughts, production
lines and seasons across the globe’s wine
producing regions. All of it, while doting on her
1-year-old son.
FIU staff writer Dianne Fernandez ’94
sat down with Betancourt at Azul’s terrace
overlooking Biscayne Bay to talk wine and
food pairings while sampling one of the
restaurant’s exquisite dishes.
DF: It’s your job to know what is the
perfect wine for every meal. What’s your
favorite pairing of all time?
CB: I love riesling. My favorite pairing is riesling
with Peruvian food. Tiraditos, ceviche – it’s
heaven. That was my first request when I gave
birth. I had my son and decided to wait until
I could really enjoy it. Four weeks later, my
husband and I came to the Mandarin to eat. I
savored that half glass of wine and every bite. I
especially love S. A. Prüm riesling.
DF: Fine wine isn’t just for fine dining
anymore. What can you serve up on
pizza night?
CB: Refreshing reds: barbera, dolcetto. Pizza
and primitivo is also a great pairing. The right
wine can go with just about anything.
DF: I love that! In that spirit, let’s go
ethnic. I come from a big Cuban family.
What wine would you pair with arroz
con pollo?
CB: I would probably do an oak-aged
sauvignon blanc. Illumination by
Quintessa, specifically.
By Dianne Fernandez ’94
THE
42 | SPRING 2012
Photo by Josh Ritchie
DF: You chose Azul’s smoked octopus and babaganoush for our pairing. What wines are we sampling?CB: It’s my favorite dish. To start, Gewurztraminer by Navarro. It really accentuates the spices, but it is low in alcohol. It won’t make the dish spicier. You don’t want to cover up the chef’s subtleties.DF: How important is that?CB: As a sommelier, we should approach the pairing of wine keeping in mind both the palette of the guest and the effort of the chef in creating the dish. Next with our pairing is Montenisa. It is a rosé sparkling wine. Very high in acidity. Very refreshing. It’s the opposite of the Gewurztraminer. What I’m doing with this rosé is cleaning your palate, reviving it. These are the two options the sommeliers usually use to pair. DF: Both are amazing. Which is your favorite?CB: Oh gosh, it’s like choosing your favorite
son. If I was having it for dinner, I would go with Gewurztraminer. If I was having octopus as an appetizer, then I’d go with the Montenisa.DF: What’s another cool pairing? CB: Burgers and Carmenere from Casa Lapostolle. It’s really good. Get blue cheese, sautéed onions and add bacon. Delicious!DF: What’s the best wine out there for, let’s say, less than 15 bucks?CB: Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes. It’s a great white wine. She also makes wonderful reds at very affordable prices.DF: What is your favorite part of being a sommelier?CB: Being part of the dining experience, being able to accentuate what the chef is doing. You really get to know people too. Once customers come by a few times, you get to know their likes and dislikes. They really open up to the sommelier.DF: What do you attribute that to?
CB: Your being approachable and humble. You can’t impose on people what they should enjoy – a guest is going to have what they want. My approach is to be of an inviting nature. Rather than correcting, enlightening.DF: As a sommelier, how often have you introduced someone to a wine they cherished?CB: Five to 10 times a week. DF: Are you surprised FIU has cultivated the careers of several winemakers and winery owners as well as sommeliers of your stature?CB: I think FIU has one of the best hospitality programs in the country. The reason why I enjoyed going there is because it’s not just theoretical, a lot of the teachers have real working knowledge. They know people in the industry. It was great networking. Last year, I had two interns from FIU. One of them was my assistant sommelier. FIU cultivates that talent. n
SPRING 2012 | 43
Photo by Josh Ritchie
Cynthia Betancourt, left, shares wine and food pairing ideas with FIU writer Dianne Fernandez.
Hippocrates used red wine to disinfect
wounds. The Romans would add small
amounts to their water supply to ensure
purity. And in William Shakespeare’s
Hamlet, Cornelius toasts to his nephew’s
“better health” – even if the wine did turn
out to be poisoned.
Even before microbes could be magnified
or arteries could be mended, people turned
to wine, not only to soothe, but also to heal.
But it wasn’t until much ado was made over
the French, their eating habits and their
lifespan that modern science started taking
wine as seriously as, well, everyone else.
The “French Paradox,” as it’s been dubbed,
ponders the question: How can a people
who invented such delicacies as quiche,
foie gras and éclairs have such relatively low
cases of heart disease and cholesterol?
The answer, many put forth, was in the wine.
“The research is concrete that drinking
wine in moderation provides your body with
significant heart health benefit,” said FIU
alumna and nutritionist Janet Brill MS ’93, the
author of Prevent a Second Heart Attack.
“I recommend to everyone that can drink
safely to drink one glass a day.”
Brill, who dedicates an entire chapter of
her book to the benefits of red wine, notes
that someone who drinks in moderation
decreases their chance of a heart attack by
50 percent. Even someone who discovers
wine later in life can reap the benefits –
provided it’s done in moderation.
Specifically, red wine benefits the
heart in three major ways.
First, Brill said research has found that
the ingredients found in red grapes, most
notably resveratrol, boost the production of
high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
– the good kind of cholesterol that helps
remove the plaque that builds around the
artery wall. Heart attacks happen when that
plaque bursts or builds to a point that clogs
the artery and prevents blood flow.
Second, those same elements in grapes
not only raise HDL cholesterol, but also
make the particles bigger.
“You want big, fat fluffy versions of HDL,”
Brill said. “That’s a beautiful thing when it
comes to preventing heart disease.”
Finally, red wine increases antioxidant
levels, which fight the very creation of
plaque. And to top it off, Brill said, the
ethanol found in wine – and in all alcoholic
beverages – seems to increase the potency
of those antioxidants already found in
grapes (and any other red fruit).
“At the base level, everything looks great
for wine,” said sommelier and wine educator
Aaron Berdofe.
Berdofe reminds us that the research is
fairly new and many times, “we just want
justification for drinking wine.” Moderation is
key. That means two 8-ounce glasses a day
for men and one for women.
And
it may
not be just
the wine alone
that causes the French
to live longer and healthier lives, despite their
cuisine. Literally, Berdofe said, it may be their
joie de vivre.
“For the French, it may also include being
active, eating right and having a strong
social community,” he said.
Tania Rivera, an assistant professor of
nutrition and dietetics at FIU, agrees that
there is still much to learn about wine’s
role in keeping the heart healthy. She
emphasizes that alcohol is not part of a
healthy diet.
“Although it doesn’t hurt to have a glass a
day, I wouldn’t recommend to someone who
doesn’t drink to start the habit just to keep
the heart healthy,” she said.
So, which would be the heart healthiest
wines? Pinot Noir, says Brill. Grapes grown
for this red wine usually come from cold
and wet environments so that the healthiest
parts of the fruit are kept at their freshest.
Other dark, rich reds like cabernet and petite
syrah also top the list for health benefits. n
For a healthy heart
consider a red
By Jean-Paul Renaud MPA ’11
44 | SPRING 2012
WE rECommEndFrom reds to whites to bubbles, FIU graduates who live and love wine share
their favorite drinks of choice with FIU Magazine.
SPRING 2012 | 45
STEPhanIE honIg
Billecart-Salmon Champagne Rosé, France ($86)
Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett,
Germany ($33)
Joh Jos Prum Riesling, Auslese, Germany ($50)
Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes,
New York ($17)
Bründlmayer, Grüner Veltliner, Austria ($25)
Patz & Hall Pinot Noir, Hyde Vineyard,
California ($65)
Alión Ribera del Duero, Spain ($50)
Oremus Late Harvest Tokaji ($56)
La Spinetta Moscato d’Asti ($20)
Domaine William Fèvre Fourchaume, Chablis,
France ($35)
DoUg gallaghEr
Penfolds Grange, Australia ($300)
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, Barossa Valley,
Australia ($80)
Torbeck, Barossa Valley, Australia ($60)
Ornellaia Tenutea Dell’ Ornellaia, Italy ($160)
Soñador Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($50)
Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon,
Napa Valley ($150-$200)
Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($150)
Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac, France ($1,000)
Château Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe,
France ($1,000)
Château Cheval Blanc St. Emilion Grand Cru,
France ($750)
ChIP CaSSIDyBorsao Garnacha, Spain ($8)
Rodney Strong pinot noir, Russian River Valley,
CA ($14)Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache, France ($40)
Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling, Germany ($50)
Billecart-Salmon Champagne, France ($50)
Allegrini Pallazzo della Torre, Italy ($23)
Castelo Banfi Brunello di Montalcino, Italy ($70)
Bruno Giacosa Barolo, Italy ($100+)
Monte Antico Sangiovese, Italy ($10)
Montevetrine Sangiovese ($30)
gEnCE alTon3 To Try Before You Die:
Domaine Comte de Vogüé, Musigny Vieilles Vignes,
France ($300-$6,000)
Jean-François Coche-Dury, Corton Charlemagne,
France ($1,000-$3,000)
Robert Weil, Kiedrich Gräfenberg Trockenbeerenauslese
Riesling, Germany ($200-$600 per half bottle)
3 To Drink Once a Week:
Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos
Saint Urbain, France ($30-$600 per half bottle)
R. López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva,
Spain ($30-$1,300)
Domaine Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin,
France ($50-$400)
3 For the Curious to Try:
Josko Gravner, Breg Anfora, Italy ($60-$120)
Henri Bonneau, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des
Célestins, France ($200-$1,000)
Sine Qua non, The 17th nail In My Cranium,
California ($850)
lISa MaTTSon after a long day at work, always go for the bubbly. Best values include Gloria Ferrer blanc de noirs (about $14),
schramsberg mirabelle brut rosé (about $20) or louis bouillot Cremant de bourgogne rosé (about $14).
For writing, try something bright and focused like a French Sancerre. Try Château de sancerre or pascal Jolivet (about
$16).For everyday drinking, something simple and elegant, with low alcohol and nice acidity, so it pairs well with dinner – and
won’t get you tipsy off a glass or two. Dry rosés are great food wines, such as Château d’aqueria tavel from France’s
rhone or beckmen Grenache rosé (both about $18). you can never go wrong with Jordan Cabernet sauvignon for red
(about $40).
after breaking up with a boyfriend, Champagne is necessary. go for the well-deserved splurge – the real stuff, only made
in the Champagne region of France. Try louis roederer brut premier (about $50), or laurent-perrier brut rose (about
$60). When on a budget, I personally find it very hard to find a great wine from California for under $15, especially red
wines. you’ll usually have to go with whites, such as hanna sauvignon blanc and Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines. Gainey
vineyard merlot ($17) from Santa Barbara is one of the best-value reds in California. Up in oregon, there is ponzi pinot
Gris, (about $15). Portugal and greece offer some easy-drinking, quality whites and reds for about $10. the stump Jump
from australia is also a great value red for about $13.
GrApe
Dawn approaches slowly on the Napa Valley floor. When the sun finally brushes across the top of the Vaca Mountains, the Honig wine estate begins to glow with all of the promise and spectacle that nature has to offer. Solar panels project an iridescent rainbow of butterflies and bees. A red winged hawk
watches over the grape vines, soaring over the golden-green cascade that stretches into the horizon. This is what FIU alumna Stephanie Honig ’97 sees from her back patio. So sublime is the
view that the Honig family hired California artist Tom Hennessey to create an illustration of it for their sauvignon blanc label. The label was all the buzz when it debuted and brought renewed acclaim for their wine.
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09 I PHoToS By EDUARDo MERILLE ’97 MBA ’00
46 | SPRING 2012
expectAtiOnSGO.FIU.EDU/HONIG
SPRING 2012 | 47
“It turns out the wine inside the bottle is
as refreshing as the label,” wrote California
wine blogger Peg Melnik. “It has aromas
and flavors of grapefruit, pear, melon and
spice. The wine has a round texture and
vibrant acidity. A great package inside
and out.”
Honig lives on the estate with her husband,
Michael, who brought new life to the family
winery when he took it over in 1984. Their
three children Sophia, 4, Lola, 3, and
Sebastian, 1, are growing
up nibbling on sauvignon
blanc grapes.
Raised in Argentina, Honig
discovered her love of wine
in college when she took a
class and did an internship
with Chip Cassidy in the
School of Hospitality and
Tourism Management.
“Chip became my
mentor,” she said. “He had
me sitting in meetings with
distributors. He had me
tasting wine all the time. I
realized I really wanted to
get into the wine business.”
After graduating, Honig
went to work in sales for Clicquot Inc.
in New York and for Rudd Winery of
Napa Valley. In 2004, she completed an
Advanced Certificate and Diploma with
the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. She
later started making wine in Argentina and
imported her own wine brand. She now
handles public relations and develops
international and national markets for
Honig Vineyard and Winery.
“If it had not been for wine classes at
FIU and my FIU professors who got me
educated and excited about wine, I wouldn’t
have taken this path,” Honig says. “There
is a lot about wine that I love. It’s a very
dynamic business, wine is a fun product,
and you are selling something that makes
people happy.”
At 60,000 cases annually, Honig is a
medium-sized winery that makes two wines,
a cabernet sauvignon and a sauvignon
blanc. At $40 for the red and $17 for the
white, both are praised as exceptional
values. Honig wine is sold in 19 countries
and featured in hundreds of restaurants
around the country.
The little creatures that inhabit the Honig
vineyard bring more than rural charm. They
are part of the Honig family’s approach to
winemaking. Their 70 acres of cabernet
sauvignon and sauvignon blanc grapes are
grown according to California’s new code of
sustainability standards.
In 2010, Honig was one of 17 wineries to
participate in a pilot project for the state’s
new sustainability certification. They have
maintained the certifications since then,
even publishing their “Green Report Card”
online. They were rated “excellent” in almost
every category from minimizing water use to
their comprehensive employee benefits.
Instead of spraying chemicals, the winery
uses owl boxes, which provide a habitat
for owls that control rodents. They’ve also
created a natural habitat for blue birds, bats
and bees.
Five wind machines protect crops during
the winter by mixing the air and raising the
temperature by a few degrees to prevent
freeze. This is a more eco-friendly approach
than pumping water to protect against frost.
The Honig wine bottle is 15 percent lighter
than standard wine bottles. Less glass
means less energy used in its production
and less fuel needed
to ship. The winery
also saves on fuel by
coordinating its pickup
and delivery schedule
so that delivery trucks
always leave with a full
load of bottled wine. Plus,
the tractors in its vineyard
use biodiesel fuel.
In 2006, the Honigs
installed 829 solar
panels at a cost of $1
million. The panels power
the winery and their
private home, saving
them $42,000 a year
in electrical bills and
preventing the emission of more than 7.5
million pounds of carbon dioxide.
The family focuses the long-term viability
of the soil, the vineyards and their business.
Honig says, “We are stewards of the
land and it is our responsibility to take
care of it and pass it on to our children in
excellent condition. Better soil and better
grapes also make better wine. If you buy
a nice heirloom tomato and you buy a
commercially grown tomato and make
sauce out of each, clearly you’re going to
have better sauce with the heirloom tomato.
It’s the same with grapes and wine. A
beautiful vineyard is a healthy vineyard that
produces great wine.” n
48 | SPRING 2012
Stephanie Honig and her son Sebastian Honig Sauvignon Blanc
I’ve had the privilege of serving as
president of the FIU Alumni Association for
the last two years. As we look forward to
welcoming a new president for the Alumni
Association in May 2012, I’d like to take time
to reflect and offer my gratitude. It has been
an exciting time for FIU and especially the
Alumni Association.
The programs of the Alumni Association
have continued to grow alongside our
university’s growth. We have hosted the
largest, most successful Torch Awards in
our history and moved the annual event to
the chic JW Marriott Marquis downtown.
We reinvigorated the Panther Pit Alumni
Association Tailgates at the football games
in time for the 2010 season. Since then, we
have hosted some historic pre-game tailgates that have brought thousands of people
back to campus. The Alumni Association also won a new grant to hire the university’s first
career services specialist dedicated to serving our graduates. Last year, we traveled to
China and established a new chapter in Beijing, bringing more than 200 China graduates
together for the inaugural chapter event.
I am particularly proud that the Alumni Association has also become increasingly
involved with supporting our students. This year, half of the proceeds of the Torch
Awards are being dedicated to the First Generation Scholarship Fund. The annual fishing
tournament provides thousands more in additional scholarships to FIU students.
On a personal level, my time as president has given me the opportunity to connect with
many alumni, give back to my university and participate in community projects. I have
enjoyed this the most – being able to tell the FIU story to alumni and members of our
community. I will continue to do so long after my presidency ends.
I have also learned a great deal as president. Representing the Alumni Association on
the Foundation Board of Directors has allowed me the opportunity to gain experience
in fundraising and planning for campaigns. I believe that FIU’s aggressive fundraising
campaign can be achieved when alumni in the city become engaged. As a graduate and
Panther, I look forward to continuing to serve the university’s campaign.
All of the accomplishments of the Alumni Association resulted from the hard work
of many, especially my fellow Alumni Association board members and staff. FIU is
lucky to have dedicated and talented individuals who put in long hours to ensure
its success. I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who has worked with me during
the past two years. A special thanks goes out to my friends in Alumni Relations,
Advancement and External Relations.
Moving forward, I will continue to give back to my alma mater in any way I can. I am
excited for the future of our university. Go Panthers!
Jack González ’97
from the ALUmNi ASSoCiAtioN PreSideNt
SPRING 2012 | 49
FIU 2011-’12 alumni association Board
executive Committee
Joaquín “Jack” F. González ’97
President
Gonzalo acevedo ’91, MBa ’10
Vice President
ariana Fajardo, esq. ’93
secretary
sharon Fine ’99, Ms ’11
Treasurer
Gabriel albelo ’93
Parliamentarian
ralph rosado ’96, Ma ’03
Governmental relations Officer
José M. Pérez de Corcho ’93
Past President
Officers
Gus alfonso ’02, Ms ’08
Chi ali ’00
stewart l. appelrouth MBa ’80
ricardo C. Cabrera ’94
lilian T. Chiu ’00
elizabeth Cross ’89
Isabel C. Díaz, esq. ’01
Cynthia J. Dienstag, esq. ’83
Marlon Font ’04
anastasia Garcia ’89
Jorge F. Hernández ’95
Michael a. Hernández ’04, MPa ’11
eduardo Hondal ’88, Ms ’00
samuel C. Jackson MPa ’90
Jaime N. Machado ’01, MBa ’10
Michael P. Maher ’97
ana l. Martínez, CPa Macc. ’92
Franklin Gentle McCune ’05, Ms ’08
Michael r. Méndez ’03, Ma ’10
alberto Padrón ’98, MBa ’09
Frank Javier Peña ’99
enrique Piñeiro ’03
alicia M. robles de la lama, esq. ’98
a. Celina saucedo ’99, MPa ’11
50 | SPRING 2012
the fiU Panthers went to their second bowl game in two years – and brought a few thousand friends along for the ride to St. Petersburg, fla., where the Beef ‘o’ Brady’s Bowl was held at tropicana field. “this was our largest away game tailgate to date, with more than 1,000 people in attendance,” said duane Wiles, interim executive director of fiU Alumni relations.A contingent of more than 600 Panthers boarded buses at mmC and hundreds more drove up with friends so they could
witness the matchup against marshall University. fiU lost to marshall 20-10, but fans had a great time at the bowl game festivities, including the Panther Pit tailgate with food, music, games, prizes and performances by the fiU marching Band. Spotted in the crowed were the four horsemen, michael maher ’97, frank Peña ’99, Alberto Padron ’98, mBA ’09 and eddie hondal ’88 mS ’00 – as well as a famous Panther, danny Pino ’96, the star of Law & order: Special Victims Unit.
photos by samuel lewis
psychology senior patricia Martinez gives a shout-out to wide receiver t.Y. hilton during what was #4’s final game as a panther.
FIU president Mark B. rosenberg greets Marcel Navarro ’93, an FIU Board of Directors member, and his wife susana Navarro ’94. Joining them are the couple’s children, Aly, AJ (middle) and Alex.
GO.FIU.EDU/2011BOWL
SPRING 2012 | 51
the FIU Marching Band pumps up the crowd as it makes its way through the panther pit tailgate into tropicana Field.
Duane Wiles, interim executive director of the FIU Alumni Association, pulls double-duty as he greets fellow tailgaters and dotes on his son Julian.
Flag bearer Kevin Cruz, a biology junior, leads the FIU Cheerleaders onto the field.
Criminal justice senior Ceasha Wilson and recent business management grad Jamesha richardson ’12 strike a pose at the panther pit tailgate.
The FIU Alumni Association’s first Wine Country Weekend brought together alumni from around the country for a three-day tour of Napa and Sonoma during harvest season. During the October 2011 trip, travelers visited alumni-owned vineyards and wineries and enjoyed wine lectures by Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Professor Chip Cassidy ’75 and California wine expert Clark Smith. They were treated to a reception at Uncorked at Oxbow, a Napa wine tasting salon owned by FIU alumna Celeste Carducci ’77 and a soiree at B Cellars winery, owned by FIU alumnus Duffy Keys ’75. Host hotel for the weekend was the Flamingo Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa, whose marketing is led by FIU alumnus Dan Brown ’77.
FIUWine Country WEEkEnD
52 | SPRING 2012
GO.FIU.EDU/WINEWEEkEND
On any given day at the Flamingo Hotel and Resort, a
Hollywood film crew might arrive for a two-month stay or a
mother might give 48 hours notice for a 100-person quince.
As the director of sales and marketing for the retro-inspired
Santa Rosa hotel, Dan Brown ’77 helps make it all happen.
The Flamingo has been host to many memorable events, from
weddings and reunions to the filming of the movie Bandits
and most recently, filming for the new movie, The Five Year
Engagement. Brown even got to be part of the cast, appearing in
a scene with Jason Segal and Chris Pratt.
“What I like about the hotel business is you are able to meet
people from all over the world,” he said. “You see them enjoying
themselves with family, friends and associates and you get to
be part of that experience. It’s really a joy to provide people a
beautiful setting for that special moment in their lives.”
After graduating from FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management, Brown was selected for the Hyatt
Management Training program. “I’m forever grateful to FIU
for having the major hotels come down and recruit students,”
Brown said.
He went on to spend five years working for Hyatt in Chicago
and San Francisco and later moved into marketing for resorts like
the Red Mountain Resort and Spa in Utah and Loews Coronado
in San Diego.
When the FIU Alumni Association decided to organize a wine
country weekend travel excursion, Brown was happy to help
with the planning. The Flamingo served as the host hotel for the
harvest season getaway. Brown reconnected with his hospitality
classmate Celeste Carducci and his former professor Rocco
Angelo while meeting other alumni also working in California
wine county.
“This has been great,” Brown said. “We are finding out who is in
our own backyard and making those connections.” n
Photos by Eduardo Merille ’97 MBA ’00
SPRING 2012 | 53
By DEBoRAH o’NEIL MA ’09
GO.FIU.EDU/BROWN
mAKiNG fiU CoNNeCtioNS iN CALiforNiA
54 | SPRING 2012
HIsTOry COMes alIVeeastern mediterranean, 11 nights roundtrip
departing on July 23, 2012 from Rome, Italy, on Celebrity
Equinox
hosted by fiU President mark rosenberg and fiU Senior
Vice President of Advancement and foundation President
howard Lipman
Your senses will come alive with a kaleidoscope of sights,
sounds and tastes on this grand voyage of discovery.
Step back in time as you explore the eternal city of Rome.
Admire Greece and all its ancient glory from the Acropolis
to the breathtaking beauty of the Greek Isles. See history
come alive where continents converge and cultures cross in
Turkey’s spiritual heart – Istanbul. Visit the ruins of Pompeii
and drive the scenic Amalfi Coast high above the glistening
Tyrrhenian. Ports of call include: Santorini, Greece, Istanbul,
Turkey; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Athens, Greece;
Mykonos, Greece; Naples/Capri and Rome, Italy.
BreaTHTakING sCeNeryNew Zealand/Australia, 12 nights
departing on march 16, 2013 from Auckland,
New Zealand, on Celebrity Solstice
hosted by Associate Vice President of Advancement
Bill draughon
Your “Down Under” New Zealand and Australia cruise
will overflow with natural and cultural wonders plus unique
wildlife. The grandeur of New Zealand’s countryside and
the stunning World Heritage Fjordland National Park will
enthrall you. Enjoy one of the world’s most popular and
cosmopolitan cities – Sydney, Australia, with its beautiful
harbor and iconic Opera House. Take a helicopter ride
to look for great white sharks off world famous Bondi
Beach and experience one of the seven natural wonders
of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. Ports of call include:
Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, Dusky,
Doubtful and Milford Sounds, New Zealand, and Melbourne
and Sydney, Australia.
Cruise with Fiu in 2012-2013
MOre PaNTHer GeTaWaysAlumni can explore excitingdestinations around the worldthrough the FIU AlumniAssociation travel program. laND JOUrNeysNormandy & ParisTuscany-CortonaTreasures of East AfricaTreasures of India & Nepal laND & CrUIse JOUrNeyChina & Yangtze River rIVer JOUrNeysRhone RiverWaterways & Canals of Holland & Belgium For information about dates, pricing
and itineraries please contact Bill
Draughon at 305-348-3961 or
[email protected] or visit the FIU
Alumni Association travel page at
fiualumni.com.
The FIU Alumni Association is pleased to announce two spectacular voyages to the Mediterranean and New Zealand/Australia for the 2012-13 travel seasons. You’ll be sailing on Celebrity’s award winning ships – the Equinox and Solstice. FIU President Mark Rosenberg and FIU Foundation President Howard Lipman will be your hosts on our Mediterranean cruise. Bill Draughon, associate vice president of University Advancement, will host the New Zealand/Australia cruise. A donation will be made to the FIU First Generation scholarship fund for every cruised booked through Cruiseland/Cruise Planners.
For more information or to book your cruise, contact FIU alumnus Bob Zweig ’85 at Cruise Planners/Cruiseland – 866-946-2732 or [email protected] and request the FIU Alumni promotion that features a $200 shipboard credit per stateroom. Space is limited so please reserve your stateroom soon.
SPRING 2012 | 55
CLASS NoteS1970
Frank M. Souto ’74 is president of FMS & Associates, LLC, a company based in Racine, Wis., that consults with credit and collection companies. He also represents the Texas-based business of his designer brother-in-law, Silvio Menéndez, Wild Timber Designs, which manufactures a variety of wood products. An Alumni Association Silver Pride Inductee, Souto works with alumni associations at different universities across the United States to raise additional funds for those associations.
1980 Jesus Romero ’81, MS ’83 was
included in Barron’s magazine’s listing of the top 1,000 financial advisors in America for the first time this year. A Merrill Lynch financial advisor with more than 50 years of experience, Romero specializes in the handling of wealth and liability solutions.
Keren Peters-Atkinson ’88 recently was promoted to chief marketing officer of Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. She previously served as the company’s director of sales and
marketing. In her new position, Peters-Atkinson will direct the traditional and online marketing plans for Madison’s 10 companies and 12 joint ventures, as well as those of related entities nationwide. She also will continue to write the company’s award-winning weekly work/life advice e-newsletter and blog, “Monday Mornings with Madison,” which can be found at mondaymornings.madisoncres.com.
1990José Tomas ’92, MS ’03 was elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest HR association. Tomas serves as president of Latin
American and Caribbean operations and global chief human resources officer for the Burger King Corporation.
Gabriel Albelo ’93, president of the Miami-based TransAmerica Training, was honored by Oracle University last fall with a National Special Recognition and Marketing Collaboration Awards for his
and his company’s outstanding track record in selling, supporting or delivering Oracle training. He is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Ivan J. Parron ’94, JD ’05, principal partner of the Miami Beach-based entertainment, media and sports law firm Parron Law, was admitted to the New York State Bar. Parron is already admitted to practice law in Florida and Washington, D.C.
Luis Marcelino Gómez ’95, MA ’98, Ph.D. ’01, a senior lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published his fourth short-story collection,
Cuando Llegaron los Helechos (When the Ferns Arrived), last November.
Ginelle Santamaria ’99 and Michael Joaquin Alvarez welcomed their first baby, a son named Michael Joaquin Alvarez II, last Oct. 9.
2000
Larry Fleurantin, Esq. ’00, an Honors College graduate and the principal attorney at Larry R. Fleurantin & Associates, published an article titled, “Exhaustion of
Administrative Remedies in Immigration Cases: Finding Jurisdiction to Review Unexhausted Claims the Board of Immigration Appeals Considers Sua Sponte on the Merits.” The article appeared in a 2010-’11 issue of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.
Maria Arbiol ’03 and Luis Lopez del Castillo ’04 were married last July 9 at Viña Casas del Bosque, a vineyard in Santiago, Chile. The couple first met in FIU in
2002 and currently reside in North Carolina, where she is finishing a degree in educational leadership at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and he works in the Raleigh office of Wasserman Media Group as a Hispanic marketing consultant.
Al Rego MBA ’04 recently was promoted to vice president of Clinical Operations at Miami Children’s Hospital. Rego, who has been with the
hospital for more than two decades, now oversees its pharmacy; clinical laboratory; departments of radiology, dietary and environmental services; and patient and guest relations.
Alumni Association Member
MOre PaNTHer GeTaWaysAlumni can explore excitingdestinations around the worldthrough the FIU AlumniAssociation travel program. laND JOUrNeysNormandy & ParisTuscany-CortonaTreasures of East AfricaTreasures of India & Nepal laND & CrUIse JOUrNeyChina & Yangtze River rIVer JOUrNeysRhone RiverWaterways & Canals of Holland & Belgium For information about dates, pricing
and itineraries please contact Bill
Draughon at 305-348-3961 or
[email protected] or visit the FIU
Alumni Association travel page at
fiualumni.com.
rosanna Fiske Ms ’94 was named one of the 100 most influential Hispanic business executives in HispanicBusiness magazine’s October 2011 issue.
The associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the Global Strategic Communications master’s program at FIU was among 30 Hispanic executives selected in the Corporate Influential category. She was chosen for the impact she has had inspiring other Hispanics in their in communications career paths.
“I am honored to have been selected by HispanicBusiness as one of the leading Hispanic business leaders,” she said. “As a Hispanic faculty member in the leading communications program for Hispanic students, it is especially rewarding to be part of such a distinguished group of diverse executives and academics.”
Fiske was the first Hispanic woman president of the Miami chapter of Public Relations Society of America. She has received a number of industry and academic awards, including an FIU Torch Award, the 2010 Public Relations Professional of the Year PRemio Award by the Hispanic Public Relations Association for her many years of service to advance the profession, as well as her community.
At FIU, Fiske has been instrumental in helping shape the school’s Global Strategic Communications program into the largest graduate communications program in Florida. Currently, she also serves as the chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America.
56 | SPRING 2012
Give Back.
Connect.
Enjoy.
fiualumni.com/join • 305-FIU-ALUM
Build something larger than yourself. this is what it means to be a member of the fiU Alumni Association.
Lourdes Cristina Cortizo ’07 married Edward Joseph Acevedo at Gesu Catholic Church in Miami last Aug. 20. They reside in Arlington, Va., where Lourdes is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C.,
and Edward is a professional staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs under the leadership of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87.
Norma Watkins ’08, a professor emerita at Miami-Dade College, has written a memoir titled, The Last Resort: Taking the Mississippi Cure. In her book, Watkins tells the story of a childhood at Allison’s Wells, a popular Mississippi spa proper white people run by her aunt, and of a one-woman battle against the hypocrisies of segregated society.
Jenifer Merille ’11 and Eduardo Merille ’97, MBA ’00 had quite the blessed December 2011. On Dec. 12, Jenifer earned her degree in education and crossed the stage nine months pregnant. Eddie, who is FIU’s director of marketing and new media, snapped this picture of her at Commencement with FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. Less than two weeks later on Dec. 23, baby Melody Blas Merille arrived just in time for Christmas. Melody was welcomed by brother Luke, 4, sister Mila, 2, and by her abuela, fellow FIU alumna Marianela Merille ’75, Ms ’77.
Alumni Association Member
susan (Novoa) Carvajal ’06, Ms ’09 and
George Carvajal ’08 were married on Sept. 23, in a
ceremony that was dressed up in blue and gold.
The bride and groom reached out to FIU President Mark B.
Rosenberg and the FIU Alumni Association to inquire about some FIU
goodies that could help enliven the ceremony, since their wedding’s
colors were navy blue and gold. FIU holds a special place in the
couple’s hearts: the pair met at FIU in 2006 playing intramural soccer
with their respective Greek organizations.
“We bleed Blue and Gold,” Susan said. “We both worked on
campus and we lived in the dorms, so it’s no surprise that the
majority of our love story was written with FIU as its stage.”
To make their special day even more so, FIU sent beads and pompoms
their way, as well as a very special guest: Roary.
SPRING 2012 | 57
Eric Pfeffer ’77
• Founder and President of The Pfeffer Group, LLC• Former Chairman of Wyndham Hotels Worldwide• Lifetime Member, FIU Alumni Association• Bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism management
Q. What are your fondest memories of FIU?a. The relationships I developed with international students from South America, the Middle East, India and Greece come to mind. As it turns out, this understanding of and getting used to multi-cultural mentalities, customs and other idiosyncrasies early on in life gave me a competitive advantage as I climbed the corporate ladder.
Q. How did FIU prepare you for your career?a. I was a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces and a foreign student, so when I came here I was ready to work. I felt that FIU professors gave me an immediate understanding of the basics of hotel and restaurant business and its marketing, operational and financial aspects. Their advice was very instrumental in my decisions.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?a. I was told to work in the industry while I studied it and to keep an open mind. I once faced a crucial decision and I approached Professor Rocco Angelo for advice. During graduation, I was offered a management trainee position at The Plaza in New York and, since I was already a front office manager at the Howard Johnson Golden Glades, I was also offered the assistant manager position of the flagship Howard Johnson in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Rocco’s advice turned out to be prophecy. He said to me, “Don’t be blinded by the glamour, someone has to be the president of Howard Johnson.” Within 15 years, I was named president of Howard Johnson Hotels. Q. Why is it important to be involved with youralma mater?a. First, keeping in touch with the past, with those who had an impact on your life, is a great foundation for continued success and happiness, regardless of your goals or purpose in life. Second, I always keep in touch with the faculty to stay up to date on the young graduates coming out of school for recruitment purposes or as a source of current information.
Q. What is your proudest accomplishment?a: On the business side, the fact that I was able to succeed in the corporate world, retiring from the highest position at Wyndham Hotels Worldwide (the largest franchiser of hotels in the world), and establishing The Pfeffer Group. The company allowed me to go from being a “corporate animal” to an entrepreneur. When we started, we were doing only consulting and we’ve since ventured into a number of partnerships, including The Pfeffer Group Retail Division, financial investments and a residential real estate private fund. On the personal side, my daughters Jacqueline and Jessica give me a lot of pride and joy.
VIP: Very Important Panther
Photo by Doug Hungerford
58 | SPRING 2012
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