Students prepping for 2012 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Eighty students from FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management (CSHTM) were at the Miami Beach Convention Center Feb. 22, prepping for tomorrow night’s Moët Hennessy’s The Q and Moët Hennessy’s The Q After Dark. These students are just a few of the small army (nearly 1,000) who volunteer their time and mad skills for the opportunity to rub elbows with the culinary world’s best and brightest stars and to learn the management side of staging a world-class festival such as the 2012 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine. The über-chic event runs Feb. 23-26 on South Beach.

By the numbers

So what does it take to feed the expected crowd at Moët Hennessy’s The Q? The oceanside barbecue, which is hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri, features signature dishes prepared by the best barbecue chefs across the nation. Ingredients include:

1.5 tons of beef donated by Allen Brothers Steaks

500 pounds of chicken donated by Murray’s Chicken

A storage room (literally) of spices

Fresh fruit from Fresh Point

It’s not just about the food and wine

To date, the festival has raised more than $14 million for student scholarships and to improve the experience of CSHTM students by investing in program development, faculty and facility enhancements.