News Release
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 17th Annual Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic Tees Up Support for Industry Scholarships
April 7, 2009
Contact: Jessica Wion (312) 715-5397
(CHICAGO, Ill.) - Nearly 80 of the country's leading restaurant and foodservice operators and suppliers attended the 17th Annual Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic, hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and held in Pebble Beach, Calif., March 4-7. The event featured a live wine auction where attendee bids and a contribution from the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival brought in more than $110,000 to support the NRAEF Scholarship Program.
"Each year, this event provides an unparalleled opportunity for the industry's top operators and suppliers to network at one of the most beautiful locations imaginable - all while raising funds in support of the NRAEF Scholarship Program. These scholarships enable more than 800 students and educators to start or continue their studies in restaurant and foodservice programs each year," said NRAEF Board of Trustees Chair Linda Bacin. "Our thanks to everyone who was a part of the 2009 event.
The 2009 Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic, which was co-chaired by Ted J. Balestreri, chairman and chief executive officer, The Sardine Factory Restaurant, and Tim Connor, president and chief executive officer, TJ Connor Associates, LLC, included golf on three of the most picturesque and respected courses in the world - The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Pebble Beach Golf Links, which is ranked the number one public golf course in America by Golf Digest - a live auction hosted by the Monterey Wine Education Foundation, and dinner at the gorgeous Beach and Tennis Club at Pebble Beach. It was concluded with an awards reception, honoring the top golfers of the event.
The true highlight of the weekend occurred when five ProStart students from Pacific Grove High School joined the executive chef team of the Inn at Spanish Bay to prepare an excellent three-course meal that was served during the event's live auction. ProStart is the National Restaurant Association's high school program that teaches nearly 80,000 students the foundational culinary and foodservice management skills each year. "These students were excellent examples of how the Association and the NRAEF put the industry's contributions to work and showed us the true purpose of our event," stated Ms. Bacin.
The Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Cup is engraved with the names of each year's winners of the Individual Tournament and resides in the Pebble Beach trophy case alongside others from Pebble Beach tournaments. This year's winners with overall low-gross scores, are Lee Knowlton, chief operating officer, Kahala Corp. and Karen Marriott Rafferty.
This year's event was sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, Ecolab Inc., Nestlé© Professional, American Express Company, Dunkin' Brands, Republic Services, Inc., SYSCO Corporation, Lyons Magnus, Brinker International, Nation's Restaurant News, QSR Magazine and Freemark Abbey.
The NRAEF Scholarship Program's 2009 goal is to award $1.7 million in scholarships to students and teachers pursuing their education in the restaurant and foodservice industry. These scholarships are made possible through the philanthropic support of individuals and corporations from all sectors of the restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and education industries as well as consumers and friends of the industry. Five years after receiving their scholarships, more than 80 percent of NRAEF scholarship recipients are still studying and/or working in the foodservice industry. To learn more about the NRAEF Scholarship Program, please visit www.nraef.org/scholarships or call 800.765.2122 ext. 5394.
To request photos from the Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic, please contact Jessica Maggio Wion at jwion@restaurant.org or 312.715.5397.
###
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 is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 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.
|