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www.ohiorestaurant.org 5 Summer 2012 Issue

Nearly 200 guests including Ohio ProStart ® students, parents, industry representatives and friends of the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation attended the 2012 Ohio ProStart Celebration of the Stars event on May 16 at the Mentel Memorial Golf Club.

This year’s event was supported by industry donors: A Catered Event; American Culinary Federation; Angelina’s Pizza; the Association of North Central Restaurants; Bob Evans; Central Ohio Restaurant Association; Cleveland Area Restaurant Association; Coca-Cola Refreshments; Columbus Culinary Institute; Devi Seafood; the DeWine Family Scholarship; Dexter; the Elaine Straley Memorial Scholarship; General Mills; Gordon Food Service; Hobart; John Q’s Steakhouse; Mayson Food Products, Inc.; Milano’s Atlantic City Submarines; Ohio Packing Company; the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation; Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Ricardo’s Banquet and Catering; the Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern; The J.M. Smucker Company; Sysco; Unilever; the Wasserstrom Company; White Castle System, Inc. and Young’s Jersey Dairy. Through their generosity and involvement, these donors helped us host the foundation’s grandest scholarship banquet yet.

Guests were treated to a buffet dinner provided by the Columbus Culinary Institute at Bradford. The chefs-in-training offered guests an exquisite dining experience. They worked diligently throughout the event under the direction of their esteemed culinary chef instructors.

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) Executive Director Lynette McKee provided opening

remarks for the event. She thanked the students, industry representatives and the association for setting the bar so high for the ProStart program.

Workforce Development Chair Mike Haunert of Sysco honored the Ohio ProStart competition teams and individual winners, including: Polaris Career Center, R.G. Drage Career Center, Tolles Career & Technical Center, Scarlet Oaks, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, Penta Career Center, Springfield-Clark Career & Technical Center and Beachwood High School. Amongst the individual winners honored were: Top Culinary Student and Knife Skills Award Recipient – Erika Ross of Eastland Career Center; Top Management Student – Shauna Palmer of Tolles Career & Technical Center; Poultry Fabrication Award Recipient – Ricky Canter of Tolles Career & Technical Center; and Leadership Award Recipient – Shailyn Grisamore of South-Western Career Academy. Carrie Hamilton of Apollo Career Center was recognized as the Teacher of Excellence.

This year’s scholarship donors gave the most scholarships in the foundation’s history: $41,000. These donations were made through the generosity of the Association of North Central Restaurants; Central Ohio Restaurant Association; Cleveland Area Restaurant Association; the Dewine Family Scholarship; the Elaine Straley Memorial Scholarship; Gordon Food Service; the NRAEF; the ORAEF; Sysco and White Castle.

Chair of the Workforce Development Committee Scholarship Larry Keane of Sysco paid homage to our 2012 scholarship donors and scholarship recipients. This year’s ProStart scholarships were presented to Ohio

ProStart ® certified graduating students including: Ceslie Eblin of Tri-Rivers Career & Technical Center; Richard Canter of Tolles Career & Technical Center; Austin Wallace of Lancaster High School; Jordan Cusumano and Autumn Rutherford of Lorain County Joint Vocational School; Hannah Rumbutis of EHOVE; Allison Hainer of Stow-Munroe Falls High School; Amanda Meyers of Springfield Career & Technical Center; Caralee McCandlish and Tiara Willis of Eastland Career Center; Ashley Buehner, Kylene Clark and Ian McCaffrey of Polaris Career Center; Sasha Garnes of Columbus Downtown High School; Derek Winings of Apollo Career Center; Collin Bodi of Polaris Career Center; Heather Lacey of Warren County Career Center and Katlin Reedy of D. Russell Lee.

The Executive Director Award was given to multiple recipients this year for their work as outstanding industry leaders in support of the Ohio ProStart program and the ORAEF staff. Those recognized include: Mike Haunert and Larry Keane, Sysco; Aaron Osterman, Gordon Food Service; Gary Callicoat and Jim Sauter, the Rusty Bucket; and Dan Reese and Matt Schenk of the Columbus Culinary Institute.

We would not be a successful foundation and have the great Ohio ProStart program we do without the support of our industry partners. We are very fortunate to be able to work with each and every one of them. Thanks again for your help and kindness!

GO OHIO PROSTART!

By Sharon K.M. Fish Executive Director, The Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation

Education is Our Foundation

The ORAEF and the Ohio ProStart ® Program Need Your Help

By investing in the program today, you strengthen the capabilities of tomorrow’s foodservice professionals