On March 17th 2018, the Apicius hospitality division of Florence University of the Arts hosted an international hospitality conference. On March 17th 2018, the Apicius hospitality division of Florence University of the Arts hosted an international hospitality conference. The event hosted international speakers such as Aaron Prater and Andrea Adams and featured Italian companies like Savigni cured meats, Fabbri pasta, Acquerello rice, Malpighi Balsamic Vinegar, Pruneti olive oil as well as Corzano e Paterno cheese.

The Keynote Speaker of the event was Kevin Murphy, Chair of the Hospitality Services Department at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida. He shared with us the importance of retirees for the future of hospitality and the essential practice of medical tourism.

The entire menu of the conference was performed by the students in the Baking and Pastry and Culinary Arts Career Program in the courses Baking Techniques II, Culinary Arts Tradition I, II & III.

 The event was coordinated by the students in the Hospitality Management Career Program and by students in the Special Event Management course. 

One of the highlights of the conference was the blind wine tasting panel lead by our Level 2 Wine Studies Career Program students and Lapo Bartalesi, manager of Ganzo restaurant and Umberto Gori, the coordinating faculty member of the course. 

The aim of the Viticulture and Enology: An Educational Wine Tour II course is to deepen students professional understanding of wine appreciation by teaching them Italian and International wine territories, wine styles and varietals for old and New World winemaking, viticultural practices in vineyards, analysis of the wine market, and wine marketing strategies. That being said, our students were more than prepared to take on the blind wine tasting challenge.

The students guessed wine terroirs and grape varieties while giving out wine scores. There was great excitement in the air as the wines were revealed. The crowd favourite was a beautiful Crémant d’Alsace Brut.

Thank you to all of the Florence University of the Arts students and guest speakers who made this event such a success. We look forward to seeing you next year.