Friday May 27, 2022
Dear Friends, Supporters and Students,
Spring has sprung and with it has brought a number of exciting announcements from ECF, including new board members and six brilliant new scholarship recipients. We are excited to share this news with you and look forward to growing our foundation for the best year yet!
The ECF board has taken a good deal of time during the last few months accepting scholarship applications, reading essays and sitting down to interview hopeful candidates. After extensive and careful deliberation, we recently decided to award six scholarships to local Clark County high school students. Please join us in congratulating Anthony Rodriguez, Ivette Aguirre, Alyse Adkins, Kyle Peng, Razelle Antipuesto, and Claire Cuddihy. More about each of the newest ECF scholars is shared below. This year’s recipients have an outstanding combined average 4.1 GPA!
It was a gorgeous day for ECF’s 7th Annual Golf Tournament at Canyon Gate Country Club. Golfers started the morning off sponsored by The M&M Group Entertainment with coffee from Sambalatte Torrefazione, breakfast from Paul Lagudi, and a Bloody Mary from Tito’s Vodka and Sysco. The day included drinks from Tito’s Vodka, Batch & Bottle, Bevy Long Drink, Jameson Orange, Johnson Brother of Nevada, Ketel One Vodka, Pernod Ricard USA, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer at our on-course watering holes. On course boxed lunches were generously be provided by Sysco. We also had support from our awesome hole sponsors: Jaguar/Land Rover Las Vegas, Encore, Fly Over, 4 Queens, GES, Nicholas and Company, Otis, Pepsi, Resorts World, Santa Margarita, Sysco & Tao Group.
Whether seeking to pursue careers in culinary arts or hospitality, the dreams of our deserving students are our No. 1 priority and we are continually working toward providing the best possible resource for those dreams to come true. It is thanks to the generous support from our sponsors, donors, partners, and board that our actions are possible, and for that we thank you. As always, you can keep up to date with everything ECF at www.ecflv.org or by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @EpicureanLV.
All the best,
Melissa J. Arias
ECF Executive Director
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS!
Anthony Rodriguez
High School: Southeast Career and Technical Academy
University: UNLV
Major: Hospitality/Culinary
GPA: 4.2
“Receiving this scholarship has to be my greatest achievement thus far; words cannot express the excitement and gratitude I felt when I discovered I was a recipient of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation scholarship. This life-changing scholarship allowed me to enter university without having to worry about how I was going to afford to pay for tuition because I know I am in good hands with the Epicurean. The Epicurean is filled with mentors who will help me grow and watch me succeed in the near future, and I am eager to begin the journey these next four years as a new member of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation.”
Ivette Aguirre
Current Freshman at: UNLV
Major: Hospitality/Culinary
GPA: 4.69
“The ECF scholarship has truly impacted my life for the better. Thanks to the Epicurean Charitable Foundation I will no longer have to worry about working to pay for a great education. With this once in a lifetime opportunity I will be able to make connections within my community and learn from the best in the industry. I look forward to all of the amazing things that are to come and representing the ECF family in the highest degree!"
Alyse Adkins
High School: Coronado High School
University: UNLV
Major: Hospitality/Culinary
GPA: 3.5
“Becoming a recipient of this scholarship will not only just help me go to college without the stress of finances, but it will help me create a life for myself once I graduate. I'm so excited for what this new path brings me. I hope to achieve my dreams of becoming a chef and now even more I want that life and am happy to work towards it with my new ECF family."
Kyle Peng
High School: Southwest Career and Technical Academy
University: UNLV
Major: Innovating Restaurant Management
GPA: 3.969
“Winning this scholarship is everything to me. Being able to make everyone around me proud has brought me the greatest joy I’ve ever experienced and has let me know that I am truly capable of doing amazing things. I’m very grateful for this opportunity that has lifted so much burdens off my shoulders and will continue to work hard to better myself and be the best version of myself that I can be.”
Razelle Anitpuesto
High School: Valley High School
University: UNLV
Major: Hospitality Management
GPA: 4.0
“Being chosen to receive this scholarship proved to me that if I work hard enough and put my all into something it really pays off. There were so many opportunities opened to me when I was awarded the scholarship and I still can't believe I've made it this far. There is so much left that I still need to learn, and I know that with this scholarship I will be able to close that gap in what I know and I need to know. I can already tell that the next four years will be some of the best years of my life. I look forward to working with my future family."
Claire Cuddihy
High School: Desert Pines High School
University: UNLV
Major: Hospitality Management
GPA: 4.4
“Being awarded this scholarship not only has started to change my life, but my family's as well. The level of appreciation and validity that I have received, in addition to being given this scholarship, has shown me that hard work, dedication, and passion can get you to the places you want to be. I know that I have already become a part of the ECF family, and I can't wait to create bonds and further my knowledge within the Hospitality industry.”
FORE! ECF'S 7th ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC
Congratulations First Place
Colleen Birch, Jeff Miracle, Bryan Flyer, and Jeremy Anderson
Congratulations Second Place
Terry Caudill, Paul Biafore, Steve Kawa, and Dean Acord
Congratulations Third Place
Chris Miltenberger, Mike Russell, Fred Mossler, and Joe Woodward
Congratulations Putting Contest
Nathan Armstrong
Congratulations Longest Drive
Joel Myers
Congratulations Closest to the Pin
Jose Gonzales
THANK YOU TO OUR GOLF CLASSIC SPONSORS!
MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Welcome new member Bruce Belcher, Director of Human Resources for Southern Glazer’s Wine, Spirits & Beer of Nevada. Bruce brings significant experience within strategic business partnering, employee engagement, employee relations, employee retention and talent management.
Welcome new member Jason Charboneau, Senior Vice President, Beer, NA & CBD of Southern Glazer’s Wine, Spirits & Beer of Nevada. Jason joined ECF in February 2021 to mentor and develop future generations of hospitality leaders. He hopes to help ECF offer more scholarships and guide the current students and alumni through challenges of the Las Vegas hospitality industry.
Welcome new member Anthony Olheiser, Vice President of Food & Beverage for SAHARA Las Vegas. Anthony loves creating and cultivating restaurant and bar concepts that are thoughtful and organic to the spaces they are housed in. Seeing an idea turn into a full fledged operating unit is an incredible feeling, and so much to be proud of.
GET INVOLVED
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Thank you to Johnson Brothers of Nevada/ E&J Gallo Winery for the record breaking 4,078 bottles of wine sold during South Point Hotel Casino & Spa’s March/April Wine Promotion! |
Epicurean Charitable Foundation is the proud recipient of the Las Vegas Chapter of the Speedway Children’s Charities’ $10,000 grant. |
SAHARA Las Vegas raised $25,000 for ECF’s Future Leaders of Hospitality Program and invited ECF’s students on a tour of the property and to a lunch with their executives. |
STUDENT AND GRADUATE UPDATES
Congratulations ECF students Susi Galindo, Jaslin Estavillo, and Brkiti Brhan on their graduation from UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality.
Congratulations senior, Susana Galindo, Class of '22, new position as senior client solutions coordinator at Freeman.
Congratulations ECF Student Erik Tran, Class of 2024 is now Server at Steak ‘N’ Shake at South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa.
For more information, please contact Melissa Arias at 702.932.5098, melissa@ecflv.org or visit the ECF website at www.ecflv.org.
