Collins College Professor Receives National Honor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2010
Chicago, IL – Five restaurant and foodservice industry leaders will be honored at the 23rd annual Salute to Excellence on Saturday, May 22, 2010, at the Hilton Chicago, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) announced today. Kicking off the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, this grand affair is the NRAEF’s premier fundraising event and pays tribute to the industry’s extraordinary current and future leaders.
Collins College professor Dr. Jerald Chesser, CEC, FMP, CCE, AAC will join the ranks of Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse and Jim Collins when he is inducted into the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s College of Diplomates during Salute to Excellence. This designation honors a select group of professionals who actively support and strengthen the advancement of professionalism and education within the restaurant and foodservice industry. Dr. Chesser is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and educator. He has more than 35 years experience in restaurant operations, consulting and hospitality/culinary education.
The 2010 NRAEF honorees are:
2010 Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality:
S. Truett Cathy
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chick-fil-A, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
2010 College of Diplomates inductees:
Jerald W. Chesser, Ed.D, CEC, FMP, CCE, AAC
Professor, The Collins College of Hospitality Management, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Calif.
Alice Elliot, CPC
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Elliot Group, LLC, New York, New York
Denise Marie Fugo, FMP
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sammy's, Cleveland, Ohio
2010 Michael E. Hurst Lifetime of Achievement in Education Award honoree:
Ferdinand E. Metz, CMC
President Emeritus, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York
Managing Partner, The Master Chefs' Institute, Escondido, Calif.
“We are honored to recognize these extraordinary individuals with the NRAEF’s most prestigious awards. They each have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to education and excellence in our industry,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “We are privileged to honor them for their contributions, and they fully embody our commitment to enhancing the restaurant industry’s service to the public through education, community engagement, and promotion of career opportunities.”
As the NRAEF’s most highly anticipated social event of the year, Salute to Excellence features an opportunity to network with the restaurant and foodservice industry’s most respected leaders and sample a tempting selection of foods. The event will also feature TREND, a one-of-a-kind fashion show with Food Network star Ted Allen as host that features the latest trends in restaurant apparel and more. The fundraiser supports the NRAEF Scholarship Program and the NRAEF’s ProStart program.
The Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award is the highest honor bestowed by the NRAEF. It is presented each May to an individual who is a member of the NRAEF’s College of Diplomates, and who is recognized as an outstanding leader in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
The NRAEF College of Diplomates includes top industry leaders, educators, journalists, restaurant association executives, authors, chefs and TV personalities, who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement and enhancement of the restaurant and foodservice industry’s image.
To honor the devotion to educating and enhancing the lives of young people that characterized Michael E. Hurst – a respected and successful restaurant operator and firm advocate of industry education ¬– the NRAEF awards the Michael E. Hurst Lifetime of Achievement in Education Award to an outstanding educator who has made an indelible contribution to restaurant and foodservice education.
** Photos and bios of honorees available at www.nraef.org/events/salute.
Now in its 23rd year, Salute to Excellence celebrates the current and future leaders of our industry. This event is made possible by the generous contributions of founding partner The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Ecolab, Inc., Sweet Street Desserts, Procter & Gamble Professional, Kellogg’s and Nation's Restaurant News.
Tickets for the Salute to Excellence may be purchased individually or by a table of eight. For more information or to purchase tickets online, please call (312) 751-5384 or visit www.nraef.org/events/salute.
The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. NRA Show 2010 will be held May 22-25, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event attracts tens of thousands of attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases more products, services, innovative ideas and other growth opportunities than any other industry event. For more information, visit the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show.
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About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) enhances the restaurant industry’s service to the public through education, community engagement, and promotion of career opportunities. The restaurant and foodservice industry comprises 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees, making it one of the nation’s largest employers. The NRAEF is focused on working with the Association to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation by providing the valuable tools and resources needed to educate our current and incoming employees. For more information on the NRAEF, visit www.nraef.org.
(Press release posted on behalf of NRAEF.)