MARYANN FERENC
CEO, MISE EN PLACE HOSPITALITY GROUP, TAMPA
Along with chef and partner Marty Blitz, Ferenc helped create one of Tampa’s best and most creative New American restaurants in 1986. Last year, Ferenc and Blitz opened the Dewey restaurant in the Pinellas County beach community of Pass-a-Grille, and the group also has a restaurant at Tampa International Airport called the Café by Mise en Place. Along the way, Ferenc has developed into a leader in Florida’s hospitality industry, joining Visit Florida’s governing committee in 2018 and getting involved in scores of other groups, including the Tampa Bay Mental Health Foundation, Feeding America Tampa Bay, Taste of the NFL, Visit Tampa Bay, Tampa Independent Business Alliance, Tampa Downtown Partnership and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. She’s a member of Hillsborough County’s Commission on the Status of Women’s Hall of Fame and has also served three two-year terms on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises the president and secretary of commerce on tourism matters.
| ADVICE | “The future of our industry is that the customer experience is only more important today. Understanding that and being able to deliver quality customer service is a necessity.” |
| LOCAL VIBE | “Tampa is an amazing combination of people who have been here a long time and people who just got here working together to take our city to the next level.” |
| FAVORITE FOOD | “My favorite type of food changes all the time, which is why I am really lucky chef Marty Blitz makes creative food all the time, and I get to eat there every day.” |
“There is something so rewarding about giving someone an opportunity to earn wealth and enjoy earning.”