Vol. 4, No. 2, February 2008
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Building for the Future
Epicurean Charitable Foundation is developing the next generation of industry leaders. Angela Szewczyk (l.) and Sabrina Karic (r.) were awarded scholarships from the Epicurean Charitable Foundation through which they have been given an inside track to management positions within the hospitality industry.
But these programs are necessarily geared towards individuals already working in the industry, and don’t identify potential leaders at a young age and put them on an earlier course for success. Enter the Epicurean Charitable Foundation, a group of food and beverage managers led by Rino Armeni. The organization, which formed in 2000, currently awards four scholarships to graduating high school students in Las Vegas who are interested in pursuing careers in the city’s hospitality industry. The foundation focuses on finding candidates before they enter college, and awards scholarships to those who they believe will benefit most from early career training and community service work.
“Back in 2000, I was at lunch with some colleagues and we talked about how difficult it was to find qualified mid-management applicants because of the lack of training, and we decided we should do something about this,” said Armeni, the Epicurean Charitable Foundation founder and first president.
“We decided we would get together and shape students who had expressed an interest in going into
hospitality.”
In addition to making their lives easier by creating the industry’s leaders of the future, the organization was also motivated by more altruistic intentions.
“The reason we are doing this is because we count our blessings,” Armeni explained. “Of the 41 members, only one or two were actually born in Las Vegas. The rest of us came from outside of this city, but we are all lucky to live in this community and we want to give back to say thank you to Las Vegas for giving us the opportunity to live in a city like this.”
That spirit of altruism permeates through the scholarship program. In exchange for the scholarship award of $10,000 each year that recipients can use for any four-year degree granting institution—something that is certainly appreciated—the foundation expects its students to work 40 hours a year for a charitable organization. They are also expected to adhere to certain codes of conduct—no arrests—and maintain a certain grade point average.
“What we are doing is giving these people the opportunity to become responsible human beings,” Armeni said. “There is no free ride with us, our participants have to earn their money.
“In a way, I treat these kids the same way I treat my children. I don’t accept mediocrity. They’re going to have a minimum 3.0 grade point average and they’re going to be involved in the community. We are very demanding.”
In exchange for the demands come some tremendous opportunities. First, there is the obvious in the $10,000 a year to cover college expenses, including tuition and books. But to supplement the academic learning, the Epicurean Charitable Foundation also pairs its students with career mentors.
The mentors are people who have years of experience and can offer the students meaningful insight into the industry. These mentors also help the aspiring leaders create networks of other industry leaders whom the can call on should the need arise.
Angela Szewczyk, one of the first scholarship recipients who is now working at the Venetian, had an extensive background in food and beverage, and so it was a perfect match when she was paired with Joe Essa, managing partner of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group and executive vice president of Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc.
She got to tap into the knowledge that Essa had acquired, and one thing she learned was that she could increase her value to employers by expanding her base of knowledge to cover all aspects of the hospitality industry. To that end, she took an entry-level position as a resorts service agent at the Venetian.
“I’ve gone from washing dishes to managing a restaurant, so I know F&B pretty well,” she said. “Joe suggested to me that the most valuable employee is the most well-rounded employee, so that’s why I got this job. I had no idea about hotel work.”
Sabrina Karic found that the mentor program opened many doors in the industry for her. Her mentor, Frank Rigley, vice president of food and beverage at the Las Vegas Hilton, helped her find a job that would work around her school schedule, but she said the mentor program does so much more.
“It just opens up so many doors for you because they introduce you to other industry leaders and you start to build a network,” she said. “Whatever you need, the mentors are always there for you.”
Karic said that while the foundation asks for a lot from scholarship participants, it’s only because they want the students to succeed.
“The overall experience is shaping you to be a great leader,” she said. “It’s more than financial aid. I’ve gotten other scholarships and people just gave me a check. These people really care and that makes a big difference.”
Szewczyk echoed those sentiments, saying the mentor program and the support system is essential to completing college successfully. It also teaches that the gaming industry is not a normal job for those who are looking to make it a career.
“This industry is a way of life,” she said. “It’s not a 9 to 5 job and it’s not always just eight hours a day.”
Because of the success it has enjoyed, the foundation will double the number of available scholarships to eight next year, and in 2009, the number will go up to 12.
“The community gives us incredible support, and for that we are very, very lucky,” Armeni said.
To learn more about the Epicurean Charitable Coundation, call 702-932-5098 or visit ECFLV.org.
