NYIT Will Honor Leaders in Food, Wine at the Gold Coast Classic Awards 5/5

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), and co-sponsor Quarterly Review of Wines, will present its Professional Excellence Awards to elite leaders in the culinary and oenology community at NYIT's Gold Coast Classic on Thursday, May 5, at the Ritz Carlton in New York City. The event will support student scholarships.

The honorees - Barbara Lynch, chef and CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, and Michael Martini, master winemaker of Louis M. Martini Winery - will be celebrated at the gala for their contributions, innovations, and accomplishments in their respective fields. A committee of industry experts including Richard Elia, president and publisher of the Quarterly Review of Wines, David Reynolds, world-renowned wine auctioneer, and NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D., nominated this year's honorees.

About the honorees:

Barbara Lynch will receive the Professional Excellence Culinary Award. Regarded as one of Boston's and the country's leading chefs and restaurateurs, Lynch was recently named the "Best Chef Northeast" by the James Beard Foundation. She has garnered numerous local and national accolades. As CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, she oversees the operations of nine concepts and employs more than 200 people.

Michael Martini will be honored with the Professional Excellence Oenology Award. A third-generation winemaker, Martini learned the subtle art of winemaking and grape growing firsthand at his family's winery in Napa Vally. Under his father's tutelage, Martini developed his own personal style as a winemaker, bringing balance and texture to his Cabernet Sauvignon blends.

Proceeds from the gala will provide vital support for student scholarships. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions, and a three-course dinner prepared by the executive chef at the Ritz Carlton paired with wine specially selected by Michael Martini.

For more information, visit nyit.edu/goldcoast. For sponsorship, ticket sales, and auction lot donation information, contact Lisa Moore at 516.686.7644 or goldcoast@nyit.edu.

About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in more than 90 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 15,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 85,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.