HFT 3263 – Dining Services Management

Joel Feigenheimer’s professional background in the hospitality industry includes working with people as a manager, owner, and strategist of restaurants and related organizations for over 30 years. His skills in customer service and leadership, as well as his industry knowledge, have helped him successfully navigate the restaurant industry in a number of different roles. He currently acts as the purchaser for a collective restaurant group as well as an Instructor at Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Joel Feigenheimer graduated from the State University of New York Delhi in 1977 with his A.A.S. in Nutrition and Restaurant Management. His passion for hospitality continued after he earned his B.S. in Restaurant Management from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 1979. Immediately following his graduation, Feigenheimer took a position as Assistant Manager at Houlihan’s Old Place. Joel Feigenheimer quickly progressed through the managing ranks, eventually opening a major location in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1981, Feigenheimer moved on to TGI Friday’s, Inc., transforming struggling locations into profitable ones and earning the company’s highest distinction, the Presidential Gold Star. In 1983, Joel Feigenheimer went into business for himself as the owner of The Cranberry Bog, an upscale establishment specializing in seafood and prime beef. Due to Feigenheimer’s experience as a restaurateur, The Cranberry Bog became a critical hit when it opened; his role in developing the menu and training the staff ensured a superior dining experience. Over time, Feigenheimer expanded the restaurant to encompass Bog Events, a catering service with the capacity to serve 4,000 people. The company brought its recipes and menus to perform white-glove catering occasions at country clubs and events such as the Professional Golfers’ Association’s charity Skins Game. After an 18-year career with the restaurant, Feigenheimer transitioned into purchasing for China Grill Management, where he acted asthe principal purchaser for over 25 restaurants. Since creating the purchasing department when he joined the company in 2002, Feigenheimer’s efforts were responsible for almost $30 million of annual purchases. While working full-time at China Grill Management, Feigenheimer taught as an adjunct at FIU, earned his MBA and then his PhD in Business. Presently an advisory board member of The American Fine Wine Competition, Dr. Feigenheimer also operates a successful consulting firm which focuses on hospitality operations.

Dr. Michael Cheng is the Dean at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, where he is transforming hospitality, starting with the learner experience. He was previously a tenured Associate Professor and Director of the Food and Beverage Program. Dr. Cheng has subject matter expertise in competency-based learning, hospitality management, Culinology®, food product development, restaurant development, sensory analysis, and food and beverage management. Prior to joining Florida International University, Dr. Cheng served as founding Director and Department Chair, Director of Global Studies and MBA Programs, and Professor of Culinology® at Southwest Minnesota State University. Dr. Cheng received both his B.S. and M.S. in Restaurant/Foodservice Management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his Ph.D. in Hospitality Management from Iowa State University. He brings over 20 years of experience in teaching and learning in Culinology® and Hospitality Management, and established the world’s first and only academic discipline that blends culinary arts and food science—Culinology®. The Vilcek Foundation recognized his achievements by placing Dr. Cheng as a finalist in the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in the Culinary Arts in 2010. He has been honored three times by the Research Chefs Association (RCA) with the President’s Award for his continued innovation, dedication, leadership and extraordinary contributions to the RCA community. Since the inception of the first Culinology® degree program at Nebraska, Dr. Cheng has been involved with establishing other Culinology® programs, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southwest Minnesota State University and Taylor’s University, Malaysia. Dr. Cheng was invited by the National Restaurant Association to be on a panel of Culinology® experts at the 2006 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, has presented at various national and international conferences, such as the Molecular Gastronomy Workshop at University College Cork, Ireland, the Research Chefs Association Culinology Expo, the League for Innovation, and the National Institute for Staff and Institutional Development. In addition, he has also been invited to judge several culinary competitions in Florida, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Dr. Cheng is also the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology as well as a published author of several peer-reviewed articles on Culinology® competencies and has been awarded over $1 million in public and private funded research. He continues to chair the Higher Education committee, and serves as the Board Member-at-large for the Research Chefs Association. Dr. Cheng is a native of Malaysia.