The National Restaurant Association has honored The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and San Antonio-based Silver Ventures Inc., with its 2011 Faces of Diversity Inspiration Award.
The CIA and the private equity firm received the award for establishing a campus in San Antonio, Texas, that helps Latino students pursue their education in an effort to increase the number of Latino managers and owner-operators in the restaurant industry.
The Inspiration Award celebrates members of the restaurant and foodservice industry who have embraced diversity and inclusion at their own businesses. The National Restaurant Association presented the awards during its 2011 Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.
“The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse industries in the United States, and we are celebrating that by honoring these individuals and companies with our 2011 Faces of Diversity awards,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “The accomplishments of the CIA in helping young students achieve better education and career options are admirable and inspiring. Their action exemplifies what is best about our industry and the many opportunities it provides.”
The idea to open a CIA campus in San Antonio began with Texas billionaire Kit Goldsbury, who made his fortune by running and then selling the Pace Picante Sauce brand before starting his Silver Ventures investment firm. He wanted to secure opportunities in the industry for Latino foodservice workers, and became committed to providing a path toward management positions and restaurant ownership.
Goldsbury donated $35 million to building the campus, which debuted in 2006. The campus to date has graduated 180 students from its culinary arts program, with many choosing to continue their degree education at the college’s Hyde Park, NY campus. President of the CIA Dr. Tim Ryan calls the project El Sueño, Spanish for “The Dream.” He says that because of the additional access to financial aid and education, more Latinos will be able to propel themselves further in their careers.
The National Restaurant Association, in partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice, created the Faces of Diversity awards program in 2007. It highlights diversity in two categories — the American Dream Award and the Inspiration Award. The American Dream Award honors individuals of diverse backgrounds who, despite hardship, have achieved success through hard work and determination. The Inspiration Award recognizes a restaurant company or organization that has exhibited leadership and vision through its advocacy of diversity and inclusion.
The National Restaurant Association recognized three American Dream Award recipients along with the CIA and Silver Ventures as the Inspiration Award winner. In addition to the award, a $2,500 scholarship was given to a student in their respective communities.
The other winners of the 2011 Faces of Diversity awards are Berekti and Akberet Mengistu, owner-operators of Mesob, an Ethiopian restaurant in Montclair, N.J.; Amporn Vasquez, executive chef of Pizza by Elizabeths in Greenville, Del.; and Richard Castro, a 20-unit McDonald’s franchisee based in El Paso, Texas. For more information about the Faces of Diversity awards program, visit www.restaurant.org/diversity.