CULINARY EVENT WHIZ RIZZO '90, HOTEL SECURITY EXPERT CHIN TO BE HONORED

The City University of New York's New York City College of Technology issued the following news release:

City Tech will honor two industry leaders - Salvatore Rizzo and Jimmy Chin - at its annual dinner celebrating the department's fall 2007 baccalaureate degree graduates on Monday, December 10, in the College's Janet Lefler Dining Room.

Rizzo, director of culinary events at Karlitz & Company, NYC, a leading culinary marketing and events production firm in Manhattan, is being recognized as City Tech's 2007 Distinguished Hospitality Management Alumnus. Chin, regional director of risk management, North America, for The Peninsula Hotels, will receive the Outstanding Industry Professional Award for his dedication to the hospitality industry and his contributions to City Tech.

Born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Salvatore Rizzo's love of food began in childhood when he helped his Sicilian mother and aunt in the kitchen, and then at age 13 went to work in a pizzeria. Starting in high school, he worked at Brooklyn's first hot natural foods restaurant, Circles Café, rising through the ranks from busboy to restaurant manager. When asked about his passion for food, he says, "The culinary world is the only world I'll ever be in - I love everything about it."

In his current position, he manages the planning and execution of such premier culinary events as the Foxwoods Food and Wine Festival; Sweet, the first all-night dessert party; and the inaugural Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival scheduled for October 2008. He previously served for four years as director of house operations and events at the James Beard Foundation. In that capacity, he worked with the world's leading chefs to stage nightly culinary dinners for New York's foodie community, ran day-to-day operations of the James Beard House and led the renovation of its venerated kitchen and a complete facelift of the entire building.

After receiving his BTech degree from City Tech in 1990, he was hired by the then New York City Board of Education to manage food services for three schools in East New York and also to design an innovative approach to school food service at Stuyvesant High School. He ultimately directed food service for schools throughout Manhattan. Rizzo then worked at the Italian Culinary Institute, where for four years he managed demonstration events, hands-on cooking classes and private events, among other responsibilities.

With more than 28 years of hotel security experience, Jimmy Chin brings a wealth of information to his position at The Peninsula Hotels. His background includes positions at The Loews Regency Hotel and The Plaza Hotel while under Westin Hotels and the Trump Organization ownership.

In addition to his responsibilities for The Peninsula Hotels, Chin is actively involved in the lodging industry's overall safety enhancement. He has chaired the Hotel Association of NYC's Safety & Security Committee since 1993, served as the chair of the American Society for Industrial Security's (ASIS) Hospitality and Themed Entertainment Council from August 1999 to December 2002, and currently serves as the ASIS NYC Chapter chair and a board of director. He is also a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AH&LA) Loss Prevention Committee and the Overseas Security Advisory Council.

Chin's many accolades over the years include the ASIS Standing Committee Chair of the Year Award (2000), the Raymond C. Ellis, Jr. Lodging Award (2002) and the NYPD Asian Jade Society Community Service Award (2005). A 2005 graduate of the FBI Citizen's Academy, Chin was certified as an Anti-Terrorism Specialist (CAS) in March 2007.

He is also involved in local initiatives focusing on the safety of New York City, serving as a committee member of the following organizations: NYPD Shield Program (Counter Terrorism); The New York City Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Operation Center, the FDNY's Industrial Advisory Board; the National Fire Prevention Association, Lodging Section; and the Landmarks Building Task Force. He was named an "Honorary Chief" by the FDNY's Fire Chief Association in 2003 and appointed "Battalion Chief" in 2004 by Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

Chin, a resident of Lynbrook, Long Island, is a much sought-after speaker on hotel security management at industry conferences, and has had articles published in several trade magazines. He is also a lecturer at City Tech, New York University and John Jay College.

Founded in 1947, the hospitality management program at New York City College of Technology was the first in the metropolitan New York area to offer a degree in restaurant and hotel management. Its students are proficient in all areas of the diverse hospitality industry, from the culinary arts and lodging management and marketing to all aspects of travel and tourism. It remains one of City Tech's flagship programs, enrolling 733 students in its associate and bachelor degree tracks.

The program has produced some of New York City and the country's top chefs and leading restaurateurs and innkeepers, including Michael Hill (New York Helmsley Hotel), Michael Lomonaco (Porter House New York), Xavier Noel (Paris Gourmet/Patis France), Michael Romano (Union Square Cafe), Sherry Yard (Spago Beverly Hills) and the late Patrick Clark (Tavern on the Green). The program has the distinction of having as an alumus President Bush's pastry chef Bill Yosses, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's executive chef Feliberto Estevez as one of its current students.