The Woodlands (Houston), Texas,
February 2012 … Benchmark
Hospitality International h as announced
the recipient of the Bob Zappatelli
Culinary Arts
Scholarship. This year’s recipient
is Kevin McGowan, a student at SAIT Polytechnic School of Hospitality
and
Tourism in Alberta, Canada. The annual
scholarship, launched in 2009 in partnership with The James Beard Foundation in New York City, celebrates the life and legacy of the
company’s first
vice president food & beverage, the late Bob Zappatelli, and serves
as a
memorial to his unforgettable magnetism and enthusiasm for the
advancement of
the culinary arts.
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“The reason I
entered the hospitality and tourism
industry, and more specifically the culinary arts,” said Kevin McGowan,
“is
that I love to entertain people with food.
All my life I’ve enjoyed serving people and making
them happy with
creative, inspired and well-executed food.
This is my passion. I’m
so
grateful for the support of the Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts
Scholarship fund
in helping me continue my culinary education.”
“This is such a fitting tribute
to
Bob, and Kevin is an ideal recipient,” stated Burt Cabañas,
chairman and CEO of
Benchmark Hospitality International.
“Kevin is a mature student, furthering his education
and developing his
career while also managing the responsibilities of supporting his
family. Bob would have championed him, as
he did so
many young chefs who were driven to success while balancing this with
the
priorities of home.”
Kevin McGowan is a second-year student at the
SAIT
Polytechnic School of Hospitality and Tourism.
An ambitious student described by his professor as
“curious, creative,
intelligent and diligent,” Mr. McGowan is also a married father of one
daughter, providing for his family while advancing his education and
career. Amazingly, he still finds time
to give back to his community by helping raise funds in support of
charitable
culinary and social service organizations.
Mr. McGowan’s academic success led to an invitation
to join the Phi
Theta Kappa Honor Society.
The financial challenges of attending school and
supporting a family are significant, and opportunities like the Bob
Zappatelli
Culinary Arts Scholarship will help Mr. McGowan and other young chefs
in the
future stay on track to achieve their academic and career goals. This is a most fitting tribute to Bob
Zappatelli and his continuing legacy in the culinary world.
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Benchmark Hospitality Vice President
Food
& Beverage, Giorgi Di Lemis;
Bob Zappatelli Culinary Arts
Scholarship
recipient, Kevin McGowan |
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
should be made to The James Beard Foundation, with "Bob Zappatelli
Culinary
Arts Scholarship" indicated on the Memo line.
- Donations
should 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.
To reference “In Memoriam, A
Tribute to Bob
Zappetelli,” please visit:
http://www.benchmarkhospitality.com/Media_Center/Press_Releases/Tribute_to_Bob_Zappatelli.asp
 About
Benchmark Hospitality
International
Benchmark Hospitality
International
is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference
centers,
hotels, and Personal
Luxury Resorts & HotelsSM. The independent
company, launched in 1980, is
a worldwide organization operating properties in major metropolitan and
resort
destinations. Benchmark's international
headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston.
Benchmark Hospitality is also a founding member of the
International Association of Conference Centers. The company's
eastern regional office is in New Jersey,
western regional office is in Washington, with international offices in
Tokyo, Japan,
and Santiago, Chile. For the location of Benchmark's properties and
additional
information, visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com.
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