The three-time GRAMMY Award-winning and multi-platinum artists, Zac Brown Band, has become one of music’s most heralded acts. The band's three platinum-selling albums, Uncaged, You Get What You Give and The Foundation have together sold more than six million copies and produced a historic series of 11 No. 1 hit singles. Last year on the road, the group performed for more than 1.3 million fans during a run of more than 70 headline dates and more than a dozen major festival appearances. The band’s most recent project is the release of The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1.

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Wendy Pimentel traveled to New York City with her ECF mentor, Adam Odegard (founder and president of Epicurean Strategic Partners), from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14 as part of the Avero New York City Restaurant Education Experience. During their visit, Wendy and Adam got to meet and learn from leading chefs, managers, restaurateurs and hoteliers while visiting some of the city’s most prominent dining establishments.

The Avero Restaurant Education Experience has been awarded exclusively to ECF students since its inception in 2010. As part of the trip, Wendy met with the Avero executive team to learn how the company’s restaurant software technology helps food and beverage operators improve efficiency and guest experience and drive profits. Avero is the leading provider of insights and solutions to the hospitality industry, integrating seamlessly with more than 50 labor and restaurant POS systems.

After returning from her trip, Wendy took the time to answer a few questions to highlight the experience:

Describe your overall impression of the Avero New York City Restaurant Education Experience:
“Incredible! I had an amazing time. Everything was perfectly planned and well organized. I was always doing and learning something and had a great time meeting new people and experiencing new things.”

What was your favorite part of the trip?
“My favorite parts included Damien Avero’s talk about being successful, Eataly, Brooklyn Bowl and vising the Empire State Building. Damien’s talk about being successful made me want to go out and push myself more. Eataly was such an interesting concept and the food was flavorful and simple. Brooklyn Bowl was so much fun! And since I had never been to New York, looking over the city from atop the Empire State Building was magnificent. I feel like I was able to see the whole city even though I was only there for a few days.”

What is a favorite thing that you ate? Did you try anything you’ve never tasted before?
“I think my favorite dish was from Reynard. We ordered a scallop dish with watermelon pieces and crème fraiche. It was an interesting dish because I would have never thought to put those ingredients together, but the combination of the flavors was remarkable.”

What did you learn about Avero during the trip?
“I learned about Slingshot, the program, the Avero App and upcoming projects. I learned what companies use Avero, how they use it and about Avero culture. The Slingshot program is where a company goes to find their data. It shows how many covers or guests they had, how much they made and which products are selling and not selling. They also showed me how companies can see if losses are due to employee theft.”

What was your overall impression of New York City? Had you been there before?
“Amazing! I had never been to New York City, so it meant so much to me to go to the hospitality capital. It was always a dream of mine to go and Avero made it happen! I was so happy to be there, and I was always looking up because the buildings are so high! You cannot see the sky when you’re in the city because there is so much going on. It was great to be in a city with so much constantly going on.”

Did you bond with your mentor during the experience?
“I did bond with my mentor. We spent a lot of time together and I feel that Adam and I established a better friendship.”

Would you recommend applying for the experience to future ECF students?
“I would definitely recommend applying! If you don’t get it one year, apply the next year! Keep trying, because it was an amazing experience. Even if you are not a food and beverage student, you should apply because you learn so much more about the industry and you are always learning something new. You get to learn about Avero and their products. You get advice and mentoring from the people that you encounter. This is the experience of a lifetime and I had an incredible time. I hope that other students get the opportunity to experience it as well.”