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May 2021 in photos: SOBEWFF®, food rescue and teaching Miami history
Junior Natalie Garcia works the grill at SOBEWFF®'s Heineken Burger Bash. Photo by Margi Rentis.

May 2021 in photos: SOBEWFF®, food rescue and teaching Miami history

Campus & Community

By David Drucker

May 28, 2021 at 12:00am

There's nothing quite like the buzz of a live event. At the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, hospitality students and volunteers jumped in right where they left off before coronavirus, learning the art of hospitality and service from top tier professionals in-person.

This month, the university also partnered with members of the community to discuss the history of race relations in Miami with a live movie screening and a panel discussion.

Here are some of our favorite moments from May, as captured by FIU photographers Margi Rentis, Carl Frederick-Francois and Vince Rives.

From left to right: Volunteer Diana Ocasio and students Violetta Sadykov and Keidybel Rincón save food leftover from the Best of the Best dinner and prepare it for delivery to a local food provider for the homeless and needy in the community. On average, FIU saves thousands of leftover meals from the Festival. Photo by Margi Rentis.
The Bartender's Guild at FIU presents "The Sunblazer," the drink that won people's choice award for best cocktail at the Art of Tiki Event. The guild was the only student-run team competing at the event. Photo by Carl Frederick-Francois.
Here is how the Bartender's Guild at FIU got voted the event's top mixologists.
Senior Vice President for communications and corporate social responsibility at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits Lee Brian Schrager was honored with the FIU medallion by Wayne Chaplin (left), Chaplin School Dean Michael Cheng (second from right) and President Mark B. Rosenberg at the Tribute Dinner. Under his guidance, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival® has raised more than $30 million for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. Photo by Margi Rentis.
Earlier this month, FIU Foundation partnered with members of the community to show a screening of the award-winning film “When Liberty Burns” at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. The movie explores the life and legacy of Arthur McDuffie, whose death by police sparked the 1980 McDuffie riots in Miami. Following the showing, a panel of law enforcement and racial justice experts discussed the impact the riots had on race relations in South Florida. Pictured, left to right: Moderator Frantz Williams of the FIU Foundation Office of Inclusive Philanthropy; “When Liberty Burns” Director Dudley Alexis; Captain James Mesidor of the FIU Police Department, who was previously a member of the North Miami Police Department; Tameka Bradley Hobbs, associate provost for academic affairs at Florida Memorial University and founding director of the FMU Social Justice Institute; and Timothy Barber, executive director of the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. Photo by Margi Rentis.
Read more about the event.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps, the university unveiled a new sculpture at Deuxieme Maison. In 2018, FIU was recognized among the top volunteer-producing Minority Serving Institutions, ranking fourth in the large colleges and universities categories. Photo by Vince Rives.