Benchmark Hospitality Names Pattee Graves Winner of the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship
HOUSTON, TX. September 28, 2015 - The Woodlands, Benchmark Hospitality International® has announced the recipient of the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship for 2015. This year's recipient is Pattee Graves, a culinary student at Gateway Technical College in Racine, Wisconsin. Ms. Graves also works within the hospitality industry, serving as steward and prep cook at The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed architectural masterpiece. The scholarship, launched in 2009 in partnership with The James Beard Foundation in New York City, celebrates the life and legacy of Benchmark Hospitality's first vice president of food & beverage, the late Bob Zappatelli. The annual scholarship, which will help Ms. Graves to continue her culinary education, serves as a memorial to Mr. Zappatelli's enthusiasm for the advancement of the culinary arts, and his championing of new culinary talent.
"We are thrilled that Pattee is the recipient this year of the James Beard Foundation Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship," said Tom Garcia, Benchmark's vice president food & beverage. "Bob would have been very pleased with her selection as he understood the challenge of working and attending school at the same time. Pattee began her culinary career ten years ago and had always hoped to be able to attend culinary school. This scholarship will help her dream become a reality."
About The Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund
The Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship, established in 2009, is presented annually in partnership with The James Beard Foundation, the definitive culinary arts organization in the United States dedicated to showcasing American chefs' talents. The scholarship celebrates the passion for the food & beverage profession of the late Bob Zappatelli, Benchmark Hospitality International's first vice president of food & beverage, and serves as a living memorial to his unforgettable enthusiasm in the advancement of the culinary arts. For many years, Bob Zappatelli worked closely with The James Beard Foundation, hosting the immensely popular Benchmark Holiday Dinner each December at the James Beard House in New York City. The James Beard Foundation provides a Scholarship Program as one of its educational pillars, to which the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund has been added. The Fund is included in the Foundation's catalogue of nearly 80 annual culinary scholarships the organization administers and makes available each spring for students domestically and globally. Each spring, generous scholarships are granted via the James Beard Foundation to students at many schools of note, including the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales, and Le Cordon Bleu International. The James Beard Foundation distributes resources through the Scholarship Management Services division of Scholarship America, a respected nonprofit organization that has helped award scholarships to over one million students. Contributing to the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund. Details include: Donations can be made to The James Beard Foundation, with "Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship" indicated on the Memo line. Donations can be sent to: The James Beard Foundation Attn: Marilyn Platzer, CFO 167 West 12th Street New York, NY 10011 Credit card donations can also be made by calling (212) 675-4984. Request "Special Giving." The Foundation is a 501c-3 not-for-profit charitable organization and will follow up with acknowledgment of donations to all donors for their records. A scholarship will be awarded annually from the principal accumulated in the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund.
About Benchmark Hospitality International
Benchmark Hospitality International® is a recognized global leader in the management and marketing of resorts, hotels and conference centers. The company's two distinctive portfolios of properties, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels®and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels®, represent the finest in guest-dedicated hospitality in unique destinations across the United States, in the Caribbean and Japan. Benchmark Conference Centers® maintain the highest standards for certification in meeting excellence. Benchmark Hospitality was launched in 1980 as an independent company and today operates worldwide from offices in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, and regional offices in New Jersey, Washington State, Japan and Chile. For additional company information visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com. To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels.
Contact:
Ken Ellers
[email protected]
201-758-2864
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