NRAEF Salute to Excellence attendees raise $400k

At the 23rd annual National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) Salute to Excellence gala, industry leaders in attendance raised more than $400,000 to benefit the NRAEF's youth career development programs. The event, which took place May 22 to kick of the 2010 NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, honored foodservice dignitaries, students and educators.

National ProStart Invitational culinary winners from Kansas prepare their winning appetizer for the Salute to Excellence reception

Among the awards presented during the event were the Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award, which went to S. Truett Cathy, founder, chairman and CEO of Chick-fil-A Inc.; the James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award, which went to ProStart educators Bonita Curtis of Fairmont Heights High School, Capitol Heights, Md., and Judy Uerling of Clovis High School, Clovis, N.M.the Michael E. Hurst Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Ferdinand E. Metz, CMC, AAC, world global master chef (WGMC), hall of fame (HOF). (Read about Metz winning the award here.)

(l to r) Judy Irwin, vice president of human resources and training at Golden Corral, presents ProStart educators Bonita Curtis of Fairmont Heights High School, Capitol Heights, Md., and Judy Uerling of Clovis High School, Clovis, N.M. with the James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award. The teachers also each received a $5,000 cash prize.

The NRAEF also inducted several individuals into its College of Diplomates. The 2010 Diplomates inductees are:

• Jerald W. Chesser, Ed.D, CEC, FMP, CCE, AAC, professor, The Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Alice Elliot, CPC, founder and CEO, The Elliot Group LLC
• Denise Marie Fugo, FMP, chair and CEO, Sammy's