Author: TAM of Nevada

Meet Our Instructors: Sherry Cummings

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Sherry_CummingsYou can tell a lot about a company by the people that work there, and here at TAM® of Nevada we have an amazing set of knowledgeable, professional, and fun instructors. Whether you complete your TAM® training online or in the classroom, you can expect to meet some of our staff members. We’d like to introduce you to our staff in a new blog segment: Meet Our Instructors. I had the opportunity to interview each of our instructors, and this is a great bunch.

Let’s kick off this week by getting to know our General Manager and TAM Instructor, Sherry Cummings. Originally from New Jersey, Sherry has lived and traveled extensively throughout the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Hotel marketing in Mexico led her to owning multiple restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. Sherry’s later tenure as Food & Beverage Manager at Pegasus, a Mobile Four Star dining room inspired her to explore and hone her service skills, food knowledge and wine expertise.

The Court of Master Sommeliers certified Sherry and she continues to attend sommelier seminars and training programs. Sherry attended the Sterling School of Hospitality and was also certified by London’s Wine & Spirit Trust.

Later, Sherry worked at the Rio Hotel & Casino, Gatsby’s at the MGM and Southern Wine and Spirits in a variety of roles alongside wine directors, sommeliers and chefs up and down the strip! Now, Sherry brings her unique experience to the classroom and is in a fantastic position to teach responsible beverage service based on real-world examples.

If you’d like to attend a TAM Class taught by Sherry, register for a class on our website. The schedule varies by week, but you can normally find Sherry teaching students on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00pm.

© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Four Loko Will Now Label Beverages with “Alcohol Facts”

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The ban on caffeinated alcoholic beverages, also called alcopop, was one of the biggest stories in the beverage service and sales industry in 2010. Popular beverages such as Four Loko were called dangerous, a binge in a can, and worse. The Food and Drug Administration declared alcoholic energy drinks to be a public health concern and concluded that caffeine added to malt alcoholic beverages was an unsafe food additive (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Four Loko removed the caffeine from their beverages to comply with new regulations. Now, the FTC has reached a settlement with Phusion Products, the makers of Four Loko, to take it a step further.

In an effort keep drinkers safe and well informed about how much alcohol they are consuming, cans of Four Loko will now display an “Alcohol Facts” label, similar to a nutritional label, to make it clear they pack a potent punch.

These facts will include the container size, percentage alcohol by volume, number of servings in the container and serving size in fluid ounces (NPR). Additionally, all cans of Four Loko containing more than two-and-a-half servings will also have to be re-sealable. The intent is to help consumers realize that they should not consume the entire can in one sitting. A can of Four Loko contains up to 12% alcohol, and a 23.5 ounce can is equivalent to about four or five standard beers (San Francisco Chronicle). Binge drinking means drinking so much within about 2 hours that blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels reach 0.08g/dL. For women, this usually occurs after about 4 drinks, and for men, after about 5. (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

This should serve as a reminder to all beverage service professionals to always serve responsibly. Alcopops with colorful packaging and fruity flavors are especially popular with teen drinkers, so servers and sellers should be extra vigilant in checking identification and observing guests.

Resources

© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman Recognizes TAM of Nevada for Community Participation

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TAM® of Nevada has been a part of the Las Vegas community for over 25 years, and is proud to continue offering an important service and superior product to local residents and businesses. We were happy to kick off the New Year by attending the 2nd Annual CNY in the Desert, and look forward to additional community events in 2013.

We are proud to announce that TAM® of Nevada General Manager Sherry Cummings will be recognized by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Wednesday, February 20th for her hard work with TAM® of Nevada and her participation in the Annual CNY in the Desert event.

Sherry will be recognized during the City Council Meeting held at City Hall at approximately 11:00am. Las Vegas residents are welcome to attend the proceedings, and the meeting will also be broadcast live on KCLV, cable channel 2 and online at www.kclv.tv.

Join us at the Las Vegas City Council meeting to support our local business and community leaders on Wednesday at:

Council Chambers
495 South Main Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
 

To learn more about the services we offer visit our website or stop by and say “hello” on February 20th. Also be sure to stay up to date about this and other activities and events TAM® of Nevada will be attending by connecting with us on Facebook.

© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Caution – New Device Allows Users to Inhale Alcohol for Quick and Powerful Effects on the Body

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Hospitality JobsAlcohol sales professionals have an obligation to serve alcohol responsibly. As such, any responsible seller of alcoholic beverages should be aware of a new product which hit the shelves in December, the Vaportini™. Working like a traditional vaporizer, this new product heats up alcohol with a votive candle, and releases the vapors into a small chamber which the user inhales through a straw.

There is an increased risk of serious intoxication with this device, especially if used irresponsibly. The Vaportini works by bypassing the digestive system and causing alcohol to be absorbed directly to the bloodstream through the lungs. Normally, when a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, the alcohol is absorbed primarily through the stomach and small intestine. The presence of food slows this process further. Food in the stomach keeps alcohol in the stomach for a longer period of time which means that it will be absorbed into the bloodstream at a much slower rate. This is why it’s advisable to offer your patrons a snack or a meal while they are imbibing. However, when alcohol is inhaled, it enters the lungs and goes directly into the bloodstream, causing effects much more quickly and inducing a powerful buzz.

Worth nothing is that the Vaportini shares some similarities with the Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL) device, a nebulizer which mixes alcohol with pure oxygen. The AWOL device debuted in 2004 and was quickly banned in over 20 states, including Nevada (Nevada Revised Statutes). Alcohol vaporizers like the AWOL are illegal in Nevada, so make sure you are up to date with your TAM® training, and maintain a thorough knowledge of applicable local and state laws.

The novelty of inhaled alcohol is especially attractive to young adults and teens, especially when the Vaptorini retails at a price of only about $35. Peer pressure is a constant concern among young people. Teens want to fit in, and alcohol is not only easily accessible to many, it can also contribute to the party atmosphere at celebratory events. For additional tips to help combat alcohol consumption among teen drinkers, check out our blog post, “Teen Drinking is a Dangerous Business.”

Are you concerned about the potential dangers of alcohol vaporizers such as the Vaportini?

Resources

© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada