Editorial: Preparing for success

Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007 | 7:40 a.m.

Six years ago, as Las Vegas was burnishing its culinary image, a group of food and beverage executives from rival Strip casinos met over lunch. On the menu was a discussion about developing future industry leaders.

"We are all very driven people and we wanted to develop" the next generation, said Bart Mahoney, vice president of food and beverage at MGM Mirage's CityCenter resort project.

As Liz Benston reported in Tuesday's Las Vegas Sun, they created the Epicurean Charitable Foundation to raise money for high school students who might not be able to afford college. The foundation, however, does more than award scholarships. It partners students with mentors in the business.

Angela Szewczyk, a 2003 graduate of Centennial High School and Area Technical Trade Center, recently became one of the first students to finish the internship program. She graduated from UNLV in August with a degree in hospitality management and a resume full of experience.

She was 17 when she started the program. Her mentor, Joe Issa of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, had her start learning the trade at Puck's Postrio at the Venetian, where she did a variety of jobs, from accounting to working as a hostess, before being hired by the restaurant. She recently decided to broaden her experience and now works in sales at the Venetian.

The foundation offers up to $10,000 a year for students to study at UNLV, but Mahoney said mentoring is the most important part of the program.

"We expose them to all facets of the industry," he said. "We find them jobs and keep them focused."

What is most impressive about the foundation's program is that it invests in students' total education, giving them the ability not only to get a college education but also to get the real-world experience that will help them succeed.

Well done.