Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 | 6 a.m.
Jay Bluhm
Age: 38
Current job: Director of food and beverage, Aria Resort & Casino
Education: Johnson and Wales University (Providence, R.I.), Bachelor of Science in hospitality management
About Jay Bluhm: Jay Bluhm made his official foray into the culinary industry in 1993, working as a cook at the Buccaneer Bay Club in Treasure Island. Since then, Bluhm has significantly broadened his skill set and knowledge base of the food and beverage business, having held myriad hospitality positions at various Las Vegas resort properties, including The Mirage, the Golden Nugget and Bellagio, where he most recently served as director of food and beverage. Bluhm now provides leadership and direction as the director of food and beverage at Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter. In this capacity, Bluhm is responsible for overseeing all operations in the food and beverage department at Aria, and was also instrumental in the related pre-opening functions at CityCenter. He has been working behind the scenes on the Aria project since 2006, and has been instrumental to contributing to its success. “The response has been very favorable, and we’ll be on target for our expectation of delivering a great product,” said Bluhm, who is also a founding member of the Epicurean Charitable Foundation. “In 2009 we opened a nutrition exhibit at Lied Discovery Museum and I chaired the committee to get that program off the ground. It was great to help children and parents understand the importance of nutrition.”
The most important issue facing the valley: I think it’s the decline in travel and tourism, no thanks to our current president. The downplay in what has happened across the world has really impacted the city dramatically, including the labor force.
My mentor and why: Two stand out. One is Gustav Mauler, who was the first person to really give me the opportunity to grow and improve what I could do. He was the vice president of food and beverage at Treasure Island when I started. The second is Bart Mahoney, who was the opening vice president of food and beverage at Aria. He really pushed me and helped me developed my skills.
Favorite Web site: www.cbssportline.com
Hobbies: I play football every Sunday and hockey twice a week. I also golf and play softball.
Fantasy job: I should be batting third for the New York Yankees. I hit better than A-Rod.
One-word description of self: Intense
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