Media Contact:
Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Press Secretary
850-224-2250 ext. 255
eray@frla.org
(November 13, 2013) The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to sponsor Enjoy Arts and Tastes-St. Pete, a three day festival of food, wine and the arts featuring renowned chefs, restaurants and artists. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit FRLA’s Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides school-to-career training for high school students interested in the hospitality industry. The festival is scheduled for November 15-17, 2013 in and around St. Petersburg.
“This festival gives patrons a rare opportunity to experience unique flavors and fine art while feeling good about their contribution to the future of high school students not only in the Tampa Bay area, but across Florida,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are thrilled to participate in this inaugural event knowing that young people will be able to build more careers in the hospitality industry. The Florida ProStart program, which is led by our Educational Foundation, represents the first rung on a student’s ladder to a successful foodservice career and the proceeds from this event will benefit the more than 235 high schools that are teaching the ProStart curriculum.”
FRLA’s Educational Foundation was developed to increase the quality and employability of today’s high school graduates by providing them with training related to important job skills as well as opportunities for careers and higher education. Local high schools in Pinellas County include Dixie Hollins High School, Northeast High School, Osceola High School, and Tarpon Springs High School. Hillsborough County schools include Armwood High School, Blake High School, Bowers Whitley Career Center, Brewster Technical, Chamberlain High School, Columbus Academy, D.W. Waters Career Center, Durant High School, East Bay High School, Erwin Technical, Freedom High School, Hillsborough High School, Jefferson High School, King High School, Leto High School, Riverview High School, Robinson High School, Sickles High School, Simmons Career Center, South County Career Center, Steinbrenner High School, Strawberry Crest High School, Tampa Bay Technical and Wharton High School.
For more information about FRLA’s Educational Foundation please click this link.
To buy tickets to Enjoy Arts and Tastes-St. Pete and to find the full schedule of events please click this link.
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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA)
FRLA’s mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s hospitality industry – which represents a $71.8 billion industry, 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.3 billion in sales tax revenue, and over one million employees, making it Florida’s largest employer. It is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks.
About FRLA Educational Foundation (FRLAEF)
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association created the Educational Foundation in 1994. FRLAEF administers and executes two high school curriculums ‐ the National Restaurants Association’s (NRA) ProStart and the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) Lodging Management Program – in more than 235 Florida high schools and provides resources to nearly 25,000 students in these culinary arts and hospitality management programs. Scholarships, Teacher Training Institutes, Industry Certifications, Equipment Mini‐Grants and Industry Internships are just a few of the products and services the FRLAEF provides to these classrooms.