Student Awarded Cervena Scholarship

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO “CERVENA VENISON RESTAURENTEUR OF THE YEAR” AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Alex Blanco, a Hospitality Management student at FIU who received a $2500 scholarship today from Cervena Venison, has a clear vision for his future: he plans on having his own restaurant management group that develops upscale restaurant concepts.  “I believe that the future of fine dining will incorporate innovative and creative cooking techniques for healthy eating with great flavors,” says Alex. 

Alex received this award based on his leadership in managing the student teams that prepared and served Cervena Venison to 3000 guests in the FIU tent at the South Beach Food and Wine festival, for the past two years.  In fact, Alex developed the recipe served on February 23rd at the 2008 SOBE event, “Cajun Blackened Cervena Gyro with Pickled Cucumbers and Red Pepper Hummus”, with supervision from FIU faculty member Professor Robert Probst.

The award was presented at FIU today by Chef Graham Brown of Christchurch New Zealand, following a culinary demonstration entitled Pure New Zealand Cuisine.  Chef Brown demonstrated three dishes using Greenshell mussels, lamb, and Cervena venison: all native proteins whose flavors are the direct result of the preemptive attention given in New Zealand to developing the purest raw ingredients in the world.

The Cervena Venison Restaurateur of the Year award has been established to recognize a full-time student at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University who exhibits a commitment to and passion for the culinary arts.  This is the second year that the scholarship has been presented.