New Jersey Restaurant Association Hosts Culinary Student Day

The New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) and New Jersey Restaurant Education Foundation awarded the 2009 Garden State Silver Plate Scholarship Award to seven local high school seniors last week at the Hospitality House in Trenton. The award consisted of a $500 check, engraved silver plate, a chef coat and joint resolution from the Senate & Assembly of New Jersey. The students had to submit a one page essay on “Why the student selected the foodservice industry as their area of study” and “Where do they envision this will take them in the future.” All of the applicants are apart of the ProStart Curriculum Program.

NJRA President Deborah Dowdell and NJRA Chairman Jimmy Thornton were joined by Daniel Cannizzo, President of the New Jersey Restaurant Educational Foundation and past-Chairman of the NJRA, in presenting the awards.

Photographed (Left to Right): Ambreen Hernandez, Newark Vocational High School, Newark, NJ; Ria Golden, Newark Vocational High School, Newark, NJ; Jonathan Petela, Cape May County Technical High School, Cape May, NJ; Nick Andrejco, Mercer County Technical School, Pennington, NJ; Jimmy Thornton, NJRA Chairman of the Board and Director of Catering, Grand Summit Hotel/Hunt Club Grill, Summit, NJ; Jovan Molave, Passaic County Technical Institute, Wayne, NJ; Nikkeyah Westpoint, Snyder High School, Jersey City, NJ; Ashlee Hunsbedt, Hunterdon Central/Hunterdon County Poly Tech, Flemington, NJ.

The NJRA represents owners and operators of full-service restaurants, catering facilities, taverns & pubs, brew pubs, diner restaurants, hotel restaurants, coffee shops, limited & quick service restaurants, institutional feeders, delis pizzerias, country clubs, culinary students and schools. Today, the New Jersey restaurant and hospitality industry includes 23,000 eating and drinking establishments generating $12 billion in annual sales and employing 311,000 people. Visit www.NJRA.org.