From The President
By Katie Perrin, NACE Charlotte Chapter

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” –Helen Keller

As a child, June was by far my favorite month. Do you remember it? How it swept in like a superhero to rescue restless students from the classroom and deliver them three months of summer break bliss? It was glorious. As adults, while June may lack its former whimsical fantasy, it still ignites anticipation for long summer days, employee cookouts, and family vacations.

For the National Association of Catering Executives, June marks the end of our spring membership campaign and the beginning of summer activities for local chapters. The new membership campaign is certainly something to be celebrated, as we welcome more than 260 new members to NACE! Since the campaign, our local NACE chapter has more than 110 members.

Looking forward to summer, the Charlotte Chapter of NACE is beginning preparations for our annual fundraiser, which will be held in mid-November. This year’s event will benefit the Community Culinary School of Charlotte. CCSC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “provide training and job search assistance in the food service industry for people who are chronically unemployed or underemployed.”

In light of our growing relationship with CCSC, the Charlotte Chapter of NACE visited the school this month for our monthly program. We found ourselves back in the classroom to learn about the organization’s commitment to teaching adults culinary skills that will translate into job opportunities in the food service or hospitality industry. Executive director Chef Ron Ahlert shared CCSC’s vision to empower their students and encourage them to discover their talents and sharpen their tools to create a better life for themselves and community.

Students of the Community Culinary School of Charlotte also employ their talent with the school’s catering division, Encore Catering. Encore gives students the opportunity to use their skills to produce food and meals for the paying public. Profits earned by Encore Catering are reinvested in the school to support the next incoming class.

This was a particularly special monthly program for many of our members who have been involved with CCSC’s mission for years. Our chapter is looking forward to participating in future collaborations with this remarkable organization.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to the following vendors for their generous support and contribution to our “Join Us in the Kitchen…” May program and raffle:

Community Culinary School of Charlotte
Encore Catering
Central Piedmont Community College - Baking and Pastry Arts School
Trader Joes
K&H Enterprises
Tommy McCart Photography
Nona’s Sweets
Cheesecakes Etc.
JDK Marketing Communications
Carolina Wedding Design

We invite you to join us at our next monthly meeting, which will be held at the Extravaganza Depot (1610 N. Tryon Street) on Monday, June 21 at 6pm. Register online at www.charlotteNACE.com.

NACE Joins CCSC to Fight Hunger & Unemployment

By Phillip Broome

NACE members learned at the May meeting that the organization and the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC) have much in common: both share the same set of principles of collaboration, education and community service.

CCSC is a private, not-for-profit organization that provides training and job search assistance in the foodservice industry for people who are chronically unemployed or underemployed. CCSC students pay no tuition. They ‘pay’ for their training by participating in Friendship Trays, the school’s meals-on-wheels program.

Friendship Trays is the largest program of its kind in Charlotte, feeding more than 600 people daily. It is just one component of what CCSC Executive Director, Chef Ron Ahlert, calls the Nutrition Coalition. Its members – CCSC, Friendship Trays, Loves & Fishes and the Society of St. Andrew – are housed together on Distribution Street and share the goals to make Charlotte a healthier city while fighting hunger.

During NACE’s evening at CCSC, Chef Ron and his students prepared a delicious offering from the school’s catering division, Encore. It included signature tomato tarts, champagne, baby potatoes stuffed with blue cheese and BBQ sliders. The presentation became even more impressive when Chef Ron announced that the students who prepared the food were in the kitchen for the first time. What a way to kick off a culinary career!

THE NACE MISSION STATEMENT:

To provide catering and event professionals superior education, networking & resources to enhance career success and deliver excellence to clients!