March, 2011 - University of the Incarnate Word

March2011By Gaby CanavatiLOGOS STAFFWRITERIf Celia Cruz lived, she’dprobably spend her time inAzuca Nuevo Latino Restaurant& Bar at 713 S. Alamo St.This vibrant venue attemptsto combine traditions and flavorsof the Caribbean, Mexico,South and Central America. Youmay even spot some Spanishinspireddishes and Flamencodances. Although you don’t feelMexican or Spanish vibes in thisplace -- it’s purely a Caribbean,South and Central Americanexperience.When you arrive at Azúca,you’re tempted to walk throughthe front door. Well, you can’t.The entrance of Azúca is strategicallylocated past a beautifullylush arch of greenery, whichmakes for a quaint yet brief walk,taking you back to the hole inthe wall eatery on the corner ofa Puerto Rican street.Upon entering, you aregreeted with vibrant, loud colors:lime green tile, blue walls andtables. As my friend remindsme, the blue walls and tablesplay an interesting role in theFEATURESpage www.uiwlogos.org3Restaurant Review: Azúca reflects various culturesAnnual Job Fair draws hundreds of prospective employeesBy Ashley PerezLOGOS STAFF WRITERaesthetics of the restaurant.Blue, a color often associatedwith appetite suppression, reallyadds to the character and vibe ofthis eatery. Whoever thinks theblue doesn’t work will stand correctedonce the Latin Americanaromas of garlic and sofrito seepout of the kitchen. The mostnotorious characteristic of therestaurant is a very apparentode to Celia Cruz. The wallsare covered in art depicting theworld-renowned Cuban Queenof Salsa who died eight yearsago. In addition to the art, wefind intricate murano glass lightfixtures as well as wall decorations-- all a seemingly strangecombination that probably onlyworks for this place.Almost every Latin Americancountry has its version ofrice and beans. For example,Moros y Cristianos (often calledcongrí or moros), Cuba’s blackbeans and rice dish. This dish,introduced by Cuban settlers,dates back to the time whenMuslims and Christians foughtover Spain, a historical eventthat changed much of Spanishculture. Moros is a Cuban staple,often served with plantains. Thedish isn’t solely rice and beans-- it has peppers, cumin, bayleaves, garlic, oregano, tomatopaste, onions and much more.It’s an intricate dish with differentflavors. Azúca’s versionwas good, but not the best I’vehad. The moros seemed like theycame straight from a Valenciapaella with a very soft consistency,presented with a reddishcolor, inferring a severe overloadof tomato paste, one that completelyoverpowered the essenceof the dish.We also ordered tostones,or patacones, double-fried unripeplantains eaten in severalLatin American countries. Theseplantains are sliced, fried andpounded with a flat- surfacedkitchen tool, salted and servedwith mojo, a strong garlic buttersauce. Talk about delicious. Iwould highly recommend thisappetizer for a memorable tasteof Latin America. Crunchy onthe outside, and soft and starchyon the inside with a memorablegarlic aroma, one that remindsme of my great-aunt’s Salvadorianhome.With the tostones came aplate of fried yuca al mojo. Yuccais a root related to the potato andeaten in most hot and dry regionsof Latin America. It’s oftenprepared boiled or fried andrecognized as a traditional dishin El Salvador, among others.Azúca got it all wrong. The yuccafries were overcooked and lackingflavor the saltshaker couldnot compensate -- crunchy butrough on the outside, hard andflavorless on the inside. I wantedthe yucca fries to be delicious.I kept giving them a chance,but alas theynever metmy expectations.Our mainentrée, rubyred fish catchof the day,was presentedin a waythat LatinAmericanscan relate tooHundreds of University of the Incarnate Word studentshad a chance to meet with 88 employers Thursday,March 10, in Rosenburg SkyRoom for the school’sannual job fair.The fifth floor of the McCombs Center was filledwith students looking forward to discussing possibleinternships, part-time, and full-time positions withcompanies.“We’re looking for someone responsible, professional,committed, and with long-term goals in mind,”said BBVA Compass Branch Manager Robert Sanchez.“We come in trying to give everyone an opportunityfrom entry-level positions on up and see how we candevelop them.”Employers offered business cards, brochures andgoodie bags to promote their company.“This is my first time at UIW,” said one recruiter,Colleen Cunningham, director of marketing and researchfor Univision Radio. “We do several job fairseach year each year. I’ve done one in Austin and at St.Mary’s. But I’ll tell you something that I have noticedhere in contrast to what I’ve seen at other university jobfairs. You guys here at UIW are not typical millennialstudents that we see today. I’ve seen extremely professionalkids here.”There were also students who experienced the job fairfor the first time. Preparation included resume revisions,choosing business attire, and researching companies.“It was interesting,” junior fashion major AmandalynnHerrera said of her first time at the job fair. “Inoticed there were many business companies, but thatwasn’t what I was looking for. I would recommend anybusiness marketing majors to attend.”Even if students weren’t interested in starting a careerwith the employers, the recruiters still offered adviceabout the real world and in some cases scholarships.“Most people come to us to get information onscholarships,” said Kathleen Caffrey, a recruiter for U.S.Naval Medical programs. “I’ve researched IncarnateWord and (you) have excellent programs here includingyour pharmacy, business, and nursing school. This iswhy we like to come recruit here. Not everybody is cutout for the military, but look at your options. You willfind many commonalities in the civilian world and themilitary world. The military even offers a wide array ofopportunities from engineering to journalism.”Several employers also shared what they look foron a resume. Besides the appearance, skills, experienceand references are important things to make stand out,some said.“When I look at a resume, I look at the length a personhas been employed at each place,” Univision’s ColleenCunningham said. “If they have many jobs withina short period of time, they don’t seem dependable andI have to throw that resume out. It shows that person-- animatedand dramatic.The fish, with the consistencyand flavor of salmon, sat atop adollop of smooth mashed potatoestopped with taro stringchips. On two sides of the fishsat two small piles of juliennesautéed vegetables with an obvioustaste of butter. On the othertwo sides, the plate exhibitedtwo different sauces. One, avinegar-dominated red sauceand the other a creamy chipotle,both pleasing different parts ofthe palette. The combinationof the plate’s diverse elementsmade for a unique experience,one where you have to wonder,“what just happened?” The dishwas good, but nexttime I’d like to trysomething that isn’tseafood -- perhaps apepito sandwich or aColumbian arepa.I’d also like to enjoya mojito and salsaGaby Canavati/LOGOS STAFFThe catch of the day at Azúca on Alamo is ruby red fish.dancing. It’s worth mentioningthat Azúca has salsa/merenguedancing on Friday and Saturdaynights as well as lessons Saturdayafternoon. Also, they offera 4-7 p.m. happy hour Mondaythrough Friday.Azúca’s concept is neat -- acontemporary twist to some ofLatin America’s oldest traditionsat an affordable price (lunch isalways cheaper). With vibrantcolors and memorable flavors,it’s no wonder “la vida es uncarnaval!”E-mail Canavati at canavati@student.uiwtx.eduAzúcaRating:(of 5)Hit: TostonesMiss: Moros y CristianosRecommended Overall: YesAddress: 713 S. Alamo St.Two-man team wins 2011 Iron Chef competitionBy Krystal RinconLOGOS STAFF WRITERThe Department of Chemistry’sreturning two-man team captured theIron Chef title and and the $150 thatwent with it in Sodexo’s fifth annualcompetition Tuesday, Feb. 22 at MarianHall Student Center.Some students, staff and faculty satcloser to the action in the dining hall tocheer on the three teams who had 45minutes to prepare a dish using Amberjackfish, a species of Atlantic fish. Thefish was a secret until it was announced.Dr. Brian McBurnett, associateprofessor and chair of the Departmentof Chemistry, and teammate AdamObregon, an adjunct professor, prepared ablackened Amberjack dish that took firstplace. Junior psychology majors RachaelSchindel and Tab Montemayor prepareda Flying Fish dish that took second placeand won them $75. Representing thenutrition department, contestants DanielKrystal Rincon/LOGOS STAFFAdam Obregon and Dr. Brian McBurnettHernandez and Ileana Chapa prepared aFilet de poisson a la Ileana dish that tookthird place but also earned them $75.Executive Chef Rudy Martinez, whomade the final decision on this year’swinners, said, “It’s not about how it (thedish) looks. It’s all about the taste.”Participating in last year’s contestwith McBurnett and being a runner-uphelped, Obregon said.“It helped out tremendously,” saidObregon, who’s in the Army and will beleaving in May. “We were prepared forthe set-up, layout, and it gave us a betteridea of the types of stoves/cook burnerswe would be using. It was what you kindof hope for. This year’s competition wasstress-free, I saw the ingredients thatwere provided and I came up with ideas.It felt like I was at home cooking.”For Montemayor, competing the firsttime as a team with Schindel was different.“We were nervous, unprepared, didn’tknow a whole lot about it, but we knewwe would have fun,” Montemayor said.“We never cooked together (before).She’s a vegetarian, and we eat different.”Third-place co-winner Hernandez,a UIW graduate, said, “I’ve been cookingsince I was a teenager by workingin restaurants back in Mexico and I’vepretty much taught myself how to cook.Before the competition I was excited(and) very confident. But my partnerwas nervous.”The Rev. Dr. Trevor D. Alexander,director of ecumenical initiatives for UniversityMission and Ministry, repeated hisrole from last year as the host-announcerfor the Iron Chef contest.Alexander said returning veteransMcBurnett and Obregon “were ready towin this year.” As for the aroma of thevarious Amberjack dishes in the dininghall, Alexander said: “Oh, it smells good.Everything smells good.”has a hard time committing to an organization.”Faculty members also came by the fair to talk withindustry representatives.“I came to the job fair today to get a feel of the employersand information in the health industry that Icould pass on to my students,” said Dr. Jennifer Cook,an assistant professor of nursing at the Ila Faye MillerSchool of Nursing.The Office of Career Services collected data fromboth student and employer surveys after their visits toput the feedback towards future job fairs, said AssistantDirector of Career Services Katie Louma.“Preparation for next year has already began and welook forward to helping the students and making thenext event another major success,” Louma said.JoAnn Jones/LOGOS STAFFSeveral University of the Incarnate Word students mill around a companyrepresentative at the annual Job Fair by the Office of Career Servicesthat took place in the Sky Room. by the Office of Career Services.