ALL CHANGE

As you may have noticed there are changes afoot at the Academy of Food & Wine. As part of our ongoing strategy we have re-branded ourselves and improved our tools for communicating with members. This is the first edition of a regular AFW E-zine where you will find all the latest information on Academy events, competitions and projects. I do hope you enjoy receiving it. Pass it around to your colleagues and encourage them to sign up for their own copy in the future (LINK TO PAGE WHERE DETAILS CAN BE LEFT TO RECEIVE E-ZINE IN THE FUTURE) . From September we will also be launching our quarterly 32-page magazine At Your Service. This will be packed with news, information and features of interest to the industry.

ACADEMY AWARDS

The Academy of Food and Wine Travel Scholarships are now open for entries. You or your staff could win a trip to one of five fantastic locations. All you have to do is complete the entry form to be in with a chance of winging your way to Spain, Germany, Portugal, Chile, or California.

The winners will be announced in September and presented with their prize at our annual awards ceremony which takes place this year at the Butchers' Hall on Thursday September 28th. Come on... what are you waiting for?... somebody has to win it... why not you!

CLICK FOR ENTRY FORM AND YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

THE RESTAURANT SHOW

The Restaurant Show is being held at London's Olympia from 18-20 September 2006, this year's event is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

With more visitor entertainment than any previous show, this really will be an unmissable event for all those involved in the premium restaurant sector. With daily demonstrations, competitions, workshops and interactive stands your day at Olympia will be packed!

The Academy is once again sponsoring the event and in addition to the Sommeliers Lounge we will also have our own stand (why not come and pay us a visit) and are sponsoring the Wine Academy.

Please click link for more information www.therestaurantshow.co.uk or to register for a ticket. We hope to see you there.

SOMMELIERS FOR SPAIN

The AFW Wine Committee, under the presidency of Gerard Basset is working with Wines from Spain to create a group of Sommeliers whose will be walking ambassadors for Spanish Wines. Founder members include Bruno Murciano, Peter McCombie MW, Ronan Sayburn MS and Gearoid Devaney. Membership of this group will give Sommeliers access to an annual dinner and wine tasting, showcasing top Spanish wines, presented by top Spanish winemakers; wine tastings; competitions to win trips to Spanish wine regions and other prizes, newsletters and inclusion in press trips. If you would be interested in finding out more about becoming a Sommelier for Spain please complete the form and send it back to the AFW office.

DO YOU WANT TO WIN A TRIP TO ROUSSILLON?

Are you interested in putting your skills to the test against your industry colleagues?

Entering the 'Roussillon Dessert Trophy' competition is a great opportunity to showcase your abilities and raise your profile as well as providing a great chance to learn more about this diverse wine region.

Wines of Roussillon are launching this competition to find the 'perfect pair'. A chef and sommelier/waiter/bar person work together to create a dessert and wine match that demonstrate a perfect compliment to one another. This is an ideal way to promote learning and development within the industry and stresses the cornerstones of a good business – front and back of house working as a team.

If you are not currently a member of the Academy of Food and Wine you should join now. As an individual member you will be able to access a series of development programmes ranging from Skills Build Seminars and Product Tutorials across a wide range of topics including; Food Service, Wine Service, Bar Service, Meetings & Events and Customer Service.

You will also have access to the Academy's website as well as receiving an e-zine and quarterly membership magazine At Your Service.

We also have a number of high profile events and competitions such as the annual Sommelier of the year and Academy Awards in which you can participate.

The Academy of Food and Wine Service is a not for profit organisation and is dedicated to working with people like yourself to raise the profile and improve Service Skills in the Food and Wine Sector. Therefore we would very much appreciate your support. You may even be entitled to a year's free membership, check out the criteria in our Membership Application Form.

Click here for individual Applications and here for Establishment Applications.

SAVE MONEY ON MEMBERSHIP RATES!

How would you like to save up to 23% on your annual membership? From this month onwards you can save money by paying your subscription by direct debit. See how by clicking this link here