Episode 177

The Future of Hospitality Education

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The Future of Hospitality Education

Episode 177

What’s shakin cocktaIl fans?

Welcome to Episode 177 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

Thanks for joining us for this interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you. This time around, we pull up a seat with Professor Brian Connors (M.S., CHE, CSW) Director of the Bacardi Center of Excellence and Clinical Teaching Professor at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. He’s traveled the world over teaching people skills to Front-of-House, Back-of House, and restaurant management personnel about how to excel in the hospitality world. His most recent undertaking is Bar Project 2021, an educational program and digital knowledge base designed to get people engaged with what bars and restaurants are going to look like as we all continue to adapt in a pandemic.

Some of the topics that we discuss include:

His travels through the world of hospitality and education, including stints at Cornell, and Johnson & Wales, time spent in Ireland and at Michelin star restaurants in France, and even a little bit of chef work on private yachts.
How Brian thinks about generalists and specialists in the hospitality space and what you can do to apply your unique skill set to a bar or restaurant career.
What Florida International University and Bacardi are doing to explore the new face of hospitality during a pandemic and prepare the next generation of chefs, bartenders, and managers for the challenges they’ll face moving forward.
Why Bar Project 2021 took a page out of the tech industry’s playbook by incorporating a sort of hospitality hackathon into their program.
Where Brian and I think the industry is headed as we continue our march into 2021 and beyond.
How to survive a drunken trip to Oaxaca with Hunter S. Thompson,
And much, much more

In this episode (and on the show notes page), we’re going to mention some free educational resources that are open to the public, so if you (or someone you know) have been toying with the idea of beginning your journey in hospitality or finding that degree or certification that will take your career to the next level, definitely stay tuned.

Featured Cocktail: Irish Coffee

This episode’s featured cocktail is Irish Coffee. Perfect for this time of year. In fact, as I’m recording this, it’s snowing like crazy here in DC and I can’t think of a single drink I’d rather have in front of me than an Irish Coffee. To make it, you’ll need:

4-5 oz of freshly brewed and piping hot coffee
1 teaspoon (or 2 small bar spoons) of brown sugar
2 oz of your favorite Irish Whiskey
And a generous dollop of lightly whipped heavy cream

Now, in the same way that great cocktail bars are going to chill your glass before pouring a drink, we need to flip the script here and heat the glass up by pouring hot water into it while you prep the drink. This will allow you to slowly sip and savor your Irish coffee without it getting cold.

When you’ve got your ingredients ready, pitch the hot water, put your brown sugar in the bottom of the glass, add your whiskey and coffee, then stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the drink is mixed, you’re going to pour your lightly whipped heavy cream over a bar spoon so that it floats right on the top of the drink.

Important Links & Resources

Throughout this conversation, Brian mentions a number of important resources that you may be interested in pursuing if you’d like to explore the hospitality education sector. Below, we mention some of the most important ones.

If you’re wondering what it’s like to enroll in a college-level hospitality education, you might consider exploring the programs offered by Cornell University, Johnson & Wales University, and Florida International University.
To explore what Bacardi has done in partnership with FIU, check out the Bacardi Center of Excellence
For all the information about the innovation initiatives and special guests featured in this year’s inaugural program, visit the official website for Bar Project 2021.
In the coming weeks and months, panel discussions and fireside chats will be streamable ON DEMAND via Bacardi’s digital education platform, Bacardi Teach.

The Future of Hospitality Education

Featured Cocktail: Irish Coffee

Important Links & Resources

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