Winemaker, Beverage Exec Charged in College Admissions Fraud Scandal

A former casino exec and frozen burrito magnate also face charges

The food and beverage world was not spared in news of a college admissions scam that broke yesterday, most famously involving actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin. The widely reported scam was elaborate and multi-pronged, with the parents of college applicants paying up to millions of dollars for fake athletics credentials or unfair advantages on standardized tests in order to gain admission to top schools.

• Among the rich people who allegedly partook were Agustin Huneeus Jr., the son of famed Napa Valley winemaker Agustin Huneeus — Huneeus Jr., who is involved with the family business, is accused of paying a prep school to help his daughter cheat on the SAT, and bribing a university administrator to get her onto a water polo team.
• A New York beverage packaging magnate, Gregory Abbott, is also charged with mail fraud-related offenses for allegedly paying over $100,000 to help improve his daughter’s SAT and ACT scores.
• One-time MGM Resorts exec Gamal Abdelaziz, the founder of Kentucky bourbon distillery Preservation Marci Palatella, and the Bay Area-based founder of frozen burrito company PJ’s Organics, Peter Jan Sartorio, are also facing charges.

And in other news...

• Permanently trapped in a time warp six months to two years behind the independents, Starbucks is now offering oat milk at some stores. [CNBC]
• In Starbucks news abroad, the chain is trying to push coffee delivery in China, but is falling behind local competitor Luckin. Apparently there’s a surprisingly large market for people who want their coffee lukewarm, after taking a ride through congested city streets. [WSJ]
• The Times profiles the former pushy PETA activist who switched from a stick to a carrot approach, founding the Good Food Institute and funding meat-free products like the Impossible Burger. [NYT]
• Also in the Times, a thoughtful look at the challenges of eating out while plus-sized, and how some restaurants are trying to be accommodating. [NYT]
• CNBC has an intriguing mini-doc on how “government cheese” — processed cheese supplied to welfare recipients — was actually a form of welfare for the farmers who made it. [via Digg]
• The chocolate malt cake, a Milk Bar staple, is set to get cancelled very soon. [Twitter]
• Meat dress Barbie is so 2018: introducing blini Barbie, here for all your Doctor Zhivago re-enactment needs. [Twitter]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]