Top Minnesota Chefs Participate in Crème de la Crème: Unique culinary event to benefit local hospitality scholarship organizations

ST. PAUL — Imagine being able to savor the culinary delights of more than a dozen of the state’s top restaurateurs in one night. On Monday, February 20, Crème de la Crème will give Minnesotans the opportunity to meet 15 of the state’s most talked-about chefs – including Restaurateur of the Year John Schiltz from the Lake Elmo Inn – and sample appetizer-sized portions of their signature dishes.

The unique event will take place on Monday, February 20, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis as a part of the 2006 Upper Midwest Hospitality, Restaurant, and Lodging Show (UP Show). Tax-deductible tickets are $50 per person in advance, $60 at the door, and benefit the Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation and the Toby Landgraf Scholarship Foundation. Both organizations prepare and promote the next generation of Minnesota’s hospitality workforce.

Chefs scheduled to participate include: Chef Saul Chavez, Masa; Chef Adam King, Café Lurcat; Chef Kevin Wesselhoff, Skywater/Hilton; Chef Peter Christensen, Mendakota Country Club; Chef Derek Jensen, Jensen's Supper Club; Chef Scott Pampuch, Corner Table; Chef John Schiltz, Lake Elmo Inn; Chef Tom Rieman, Lord Fletchers; Executive Chef Tommy J. Hearn, Eurest/Minneapolis Federal Reserve; Chef Pat Hooker, Taxxi an American Bistro; Chef Jonathan Hunt, Al Vento; Chef Adam Droski, Bar Abilene; Chef Adam Trebbe, Tejas; Chef Justin Grecco, Afton House Inn; and Chef Jerry Velasquez, Buca Inc. A cash bar will be available. The event will also honor the Minnesota Restaurant Association’s 2005 Restaurateur of the Year, John Schiltz of the Lake Elmo Inn, and the Allied Vendor of the Year, St. Cloud-based Appert’s Foodservice; and the Minnesota Hotel and Lodging Association’s Hotelier of the Year, Jim Waldvogel of the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel, and Allied Vendor of the Year, Superior/McGarvey Coffee Company.

WHAT: Crème de la Crème benefit for the Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation and the Toby Landgraf Hospitality Scholarship Program

WHEN: Monday, February 20, 2006, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Ave. So., Third Floor Ballrooms

TICKETS: $50 in advance, $60 at the door

For more information about Crème de la Crème, or to purchase tickets, contact Melissa Graf at (651) 778-2400 or melissa@hospitalitymn.com.

THE HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation (HMEF)’s goals are to implement school-to-career curricula for restaurant and lodging management. Designed for high school juniors and seniors, the Foundation has introduced ProStart, a curriculum developed by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation for high school students preparing for careers in management in the growing foodservice industry, and the Lodging Management Program (LMP), developed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute. Through ProStart, students are eligible for scholarships to continue their education in the hospitality industry, as well as obtain credit hours for hospitality courses at institutes of higher learning across the state.

THE TOBY LANDGRAF SCHOLARSHIP
The Toby Landgraf Scholarship was established in honor of the late Toby Landgraf, a hospitality professional, and is available twice a year to students enrolled in a Minnesota two-year college food service and/or hospitality program.