Hospitality with Purpose

In this week's episode Dean is flying solo for a second interview with Prof. Brian Warrener, the Director of the Center for Beverage Innovation here at JWU. Don't worry though, Producer Bryan Lavin stepped into the co-host chair to keep things flowing and Dean on track. Brian recaps some of the trending happenings in the beverage industry, recaps the experience from two major industry co...

Jason Evans, Dean of the College of Food Innovation & Technology drops by the studio for another conversation with Nick & Dean. This episode is centered around getting to know Jason, his journey, and some incredible insights on what it means to be a leader. Executive Producer Bryan Lavin and Nick cut out a bit early due to a prior engagement and miss a poignant conversation about the impor...

Restaunteur Jim Harris joins Nick and Dean all the way from the West Coast to talk about the restaurant industry, opening an establishment, and how to make it in the industry. Jim found his way through the industry starting at the bottom at one of RI's most iconic restaurants, the Red Rooster. Through a series of smart decisions, lessons learned, and things breaking the right way Jim is now m...

The IT Guru, Prof. Ron Blum, joins the guys in studio to talk about trends that are emerging in the F&B IT segment. JWU is hosting the first ever Technology Symposium on Feb. 21st highlighting some of the latest and greatest impacts of technology on the Food & Beverage industry - this episode serves as a preview highlighting topics and guests...and there are already plans in the works for...

In this wide-ranging conversation, Nick and Dean learn from resident cannabis expert Dr. Bud! The cannabis industry carries several stigmas and misconceptions and Dr. Bud helps to dispel many of them. This conversation ranged from religious beliefs, to social injustice, to moss paint and so much more. JWU is a pioneer in cannabis entrepreneurship and as a founder member Dr. Bud offers incredible i...

Michael Sabitoni, Professor and Department Chair for Food and Beverage studies, is back in the studio chatting with the guys about all things Beverage. Spirit free is a movement that is here to stay and Michael brings us all up to speed on the latest industry statistics, current trends, and insights into the future of the beverage industry...plus, Nick and Dean pepper him with some great questions...

On this episode of HwP, Lavin sits down with the Owner and Founder of Sated Ventures, Karolina Guilcapi for an awesome conversation on the travel industry. As a proud JWU alumni, Karolina has applied her training at the COHM to an adventurous career in the travel industry. Join us as we talk travel trends, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and what it's like to build a boutique custom tour op...

Bella Noche, the Long Island Mermaid, joins Nick and Dean for an awesome and entertaining conversation about inclusivity in hospitality. Bella brings an awesome perspective to the table regarding drag brunches, drag story times, and what it is like to be a performer in the industry. The boys get educated on terminology surrounding drag performers and discuss how the hospitality industry truly is a...

This week the boys welcome food safety expert Patricia Bowman to the studio. Patty is a Professor at Johnson & Wales University and some might call her the Overlord of Food Safety! Patty breaks down the standards we all should be using for food safety both at home and in the industry, gives us her top "red flags" when going out to eat, and drives home the point that safe handling of...

Nick and Dean welcome John "The Pizza King" Sapienza to the studio for a fun and authentic conversation about the Pizza Business. John is a former restauranter who owned and operated The Pizza King in crime free South Lawrence, MA for over 30 years. John walks us through his journey in the owning a restaurant, the challenges of taking over a family business, and let's us know just h...

This week Nick and Dean reach across the aisle of JWU and welcome the Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology Jason Evans to the show. Jason walks us through his background and discusses the truly comprehensive experience that students immerse themselves in with a degree from JWU. Of course, his knowledge is put to the test in Foodie Fight and the crew acknowledges the 50th Anniversa...

Brian Warrener, Director for the Center of Beverage Innovation and Education joined the boys in studio to talk about this new initiative from Johnson & Wales University. In a fun, free flowing conversation Nick, Dean, and Brian cover their pathways to becoming educators and industry experts, trends happening in the Beverage world, how the CBIE can support students, and so much more! They also...

Nick and Dean are back in the studio to kick-off season 3 of Hospitable! This episode is a free flowing conversation hitting the highlights of trends in the industry, the COVID recovery, what's here to stay, and what isn't. The episode ends with a Hosp or Not segment from a situation over the summer. To weigh in on Hosp or Not or suggest a suture topic of discussion, email Nick & Dea...

Season 2, Episode 6! Nick and Dean welcome Dr. Magnus Thorsson, founding member of the Cannabis Entrepreneurship program here at JWU. This free-flowing primer conversation talks about how Magnus got involved with Cannabis, the academic field in terms of Cannabis Industry development, and how JWU's program is leading the field in preparing students to dive into this competitive industry with t...

Nick and Dean are back in the studio with Private Club Management expert Matthew Samel, PhD. Mat is a professor here at the College of Hospitality Management at JWU and is the faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Club Management Association of America (CMAA). Mat drops some serious knowledge about a sub-set of hospitality that not many people know about...but once they do, they are hooke...

On this episode of HwP LIVE we'll listen in to the recent panel hosted NSMH Student Club here at the COHM on bringing DE&I practices to the forefront of the hospitality business. This panel feature some incredible perspectives from COHM Alumni and industry experts Pearl Farquharson '12, Nicole Lau '12, Serena Sheffer '17, Thara Alleyne, Maferly Reyes '15, and Jackie Da...

Nick and Dean are back in the studio for a fun conversation about the top takeaways from the recent VIBE conference. Additionally, the boys revisit the NA beverage topic with a new understanding of where they may have gone wrong in the tasting episode! This is a fun episode that covers a lot of ground. Look for episode 6 coming soon where Nick and Dean welcome Mat Samel to discuss the world of Pri...

Our first ever HwP LIVE episode features a panel discussion that recently took place on campus in partnership with the team at the Adventure Travel Trade Association. Three industry experts joined us to discuss the importance of destination stewardship in everything that we do in tourism and travel, from Marketing to Management. Panelists included Steve Lima from G Adventures, Tracy Michaud from t...

"No, Nope, NO...I'm sorry guys"... This week Nick and Dean continue their exploration of the Spirit Free beverage world by sampling some NA products during the cast. With very little experience in this space, they start off by tasting a non-alcoholic IPA then dive into the spirit world with a Bourbon substitute (American Malt...more on that in the cast!) and a spiced rum. Really fun...

Nick and Dean have a personal chat about the world of Non-Spirited beverages. This is a huge topic that will span several episodes and this conversation is a great level set. Great thoughts from all perspectives in terms of what is driving this new trend and the boys settle on a tasting experience for the next episode! Listen in and join us next episode for live reactions to some of the most popul...

Nick and Dean sit down with Professor Michael Sabitoni, Department Chair at Johnson & Wales University and beverage expect to discuss the trends facing the beverage industry today. With a huge focus on non-alcoholic beverages, the industry is an exciting place to build and grow new products. Along with the focus on the industry, JWU has recently launch a Center for Beverage Innovation in colla...

Annie is the Director of Talent Programs at Great Wolf Lodge and joined the HwP Podcast to talk about career paths, growth with GWL, and how to better position yourself for success as you begin to plan out your own career path. Hospitality is all about the non-linear career path and Annie walks us through how to navigate hospitality, having an end goal in mind, and using each step of the journey t...

On Episode 2 we welcome Ian Wallis, Sales and Marketing Manager for Louisiana's Cajun Bayou Tourism! On this episode we talk non-linear career paths, Louisiana Tourism, how DMO's impact the community in ways we'd never expect as well as an incredible international partnership celebrating Cajun Heritage! It's been a wild ride for Ian but one that has been incredibly fulfilling a...

In Episode 5 Nick and Dean explore the differences between Greek culture and American culture. Nick recorded this episode LIVE from Greece and offers some amazing insights into different ways of life. 

In the second part of the recording from Greece, Nick and Dean discuss the typical food & beverage experiences in the Greek way of life. Tipping, as it turns out isn't universal and provides a great stage for a heated "Hosp & Not" at the end!  Enjoy!!