MDC’s Miami Culinary Institute a Finalist for a 2011 Vision Award
Miami, September 7, 2011 - TheMiami Culinary Institute (MCI) building at Miami Dade College (MDC) opened just five months ago and is already generating praise for its innovative and state-of-the-art facilities. Most recently, the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council announced that MCI is a finalist for a 2011 Vision Award. Winners will be announced at a dinner and ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the new JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami.
MCI is housed in a state-of-the-art building for which the college is seeking LEED certification and is currently tracking Gold. It is an architectural and engineering marvel based on small footprint and space utilization. It features general kitchen labs, a baking lab, a food and beverage theatre, a first-floor bakery and café and other amenities to enrich the students’ experience and the community’s involvement. The top floor will soon be the site of a restaurant expected to become Florida’s major new dining destination. Its Executive Chef is internationally acclaimed chef and restaurateur Norman Van Aken.
MCI’s principal building architectural firm was PBSJ/Atkins Architecture. Turner Construction handled total construction of the project, while Cini-Little acted as kitchen architects and STA served as first, third, and eighth-floor interior design architects.
The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit research and education organization supported by its 29,000 members worldwide. Members represent the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines, working in both private enterprise and public service. The ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council runs along the east coast of Florida from Very Beach through the Florida Keys and includes the Caribbean.
ULI’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.
For more information about the 2011 Vision Awards ceremony, please call 954-783-9504.
Media-only contacts:
Juan Mendieta, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu, MDC communications director
Tere Estorino, 305-237-3949, testorin@mdc.edu, MDC media relations director
Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu, media specialist
Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, tcarroll@mdc.edu, media specialist
Alejandro Rios, 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu