Meet Our Instructors: Sherry Cummings

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”

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

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

Make It Your 2013 Resolution to Renew Your TAM® Card

TAM02_057Alcohol awareness cards expire every four years, are you due for renewal in 2013? Renewing your TAM® Card or alcohol awareness card has never been easier. Additionally, if you have obtained your alcohol awareness card from a different provider in the past, you can still renew with TAM® of Nevada. Why not complete the best training available and trade up for an official TAM® Card?

Please use the following information as a “cheat sheet” of TAM® Card renewal information, and pass on to anyone you know who may benefit from these details.

  1. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a “shorter” class for students who need to renew their alcohol education cards. State law mandates that students must complete the ENTIRE program following specific topics and curriculum every four years in order to remain in compliance. Plan on dedicating about 3 hours to your course, followed by a short exam.
  2. Online or on-site, the choice is yours on which option fits best with your lifestyle and schedule. Classroom training is NOT required; you can take your alcohol awareness course online. You’ll receive the same great training and a valid TAM® Card with either option.
  3. We now also offer open lab time on Tuesdays for students who would like to complete their alcohol awareness training online, but do not have access to a computer. Students are welcome to visit our training center and use our computer lab to complete their training every Tuesday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

TAM® is the industry-leading program for responsible alcohol server training and is approved by the Commission on Postsecondary Education in Nevada. Don’t accept substitutes. Trade in your old card and get a new TAM Card® today.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

© 2013 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada