FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Melody Celli (409) 892-2752
Rich Courville (409) 673-3440
One Night Only:
Savor all the Tastes of the Triangle in One Place
BEAUMONT – Southeast Texans can sample the melting pot of Tastes of the Triangle – from Cajun, Asian and Creole to Southern, Soul, Italian and Tex-Mex – all in one place on Tuesday, February 16.
Fat Tuesday will mark the Sabine Area Restaurant Association's (SARA) 27th annual Taste of the Triangle fundraiser. Crowds will gather to experience unbelievable flavors, fellowship and to help SARA share the bounty.
Last year, a record crowd of more than 4,000 descended on Ford Park to savor the area's best foods and beverages. The restaurant association also attracted a record number of vendors to the event thanks to its new venue.
“Tasters told us the move to Ford Park was ideal,” said SARA 1st Vice President Bobby Beaver who is co-chairing this year's feast. “Parking lots were more accessible at Ford Park, patrons kept high and dry in a lobby while they waited to enter, and they enjoyed a lot more elbowroom. Sixty food and beverage vendors benefited from more preparation space, larger booths and easier access to those booths. This year's Taste will be even more convenient. We're working to speed up entry lines and reconfiguring aisles to eliminate any bottlenecks.”
The new venue and record crowds helped SARA beef up its contributions to a $250,000 endowed fund benefiting Lamar University students. The association granted its first scholarship from that fund and provided an additional $15,000 in scholarship funds for LU Hospitality and Culinary Arts majors and Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) Food Service majors. Taste patrons also helped SARA continue donations to the Southeast Texas Food Bank and support students participating in the annual YMBL Babe Zaharias Special Olympics and annual YMBL Livestock Auction.
27th Taste Dedicated to YMBL
The Young Men's Business League sponsors the all-volunteer South Texas State Fair, second in size to the State Fair in Dallas, and annual YMBL World Championship Rodeo. Those and other money-making events help the league contribute thousands of dollars every year to dozens of charitable and community organizations.
“We're dedicating this year's Taste of the Triangle not to one individual, but an entire group of very good guys who work hard and have done so much for our community for so many years,” explained SARA President Rich Courville. “The YMBL has always supported SARA and our annual Taste and Chef ‘s Delight fundraisers.”
Tasting Times
SARA opens Ford Park doors for Taste of the Triangle 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, February 16. Tasters who purchase tickets in advance pay $15; tickets purchased at the door, the night of the event, are $20. For a few dollars more, VIP ticket holders get to beat the crowd and begin wining and dining at 5:00 p.m. (See ‘Taste of the Triangle 2010 Fundraiser' for ticket sales locations.)
Taste of the Triangle is sponsored in part by Cheddar's Casual Café, Sysco and the YMBL
The Sabine Area Restaurant Association represents more than 350 members and is a chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association. The state restaurant association represents a community of more than 5,000 foodservice professionals who provide jobs for more than 1,000,000 Texans.
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Taste of the Triangle 2010 Fundraiser
–Featuring tastes from more than 50 southeast Texas restaurant and beverage companies–
When & Where:
Ticket Prices:
Tickets Available Through Any Ticketmaster Location (ticketmaster.com):
· Ford Park Box Office – fordpark.com – 409-951-5400
*For VIP tickets ONLY, call 409- 860-9811 – must be purchased before Friday, February 12th. VIP's are $75 – good for early admission for 2 people at 5pm Pre-Taste. VIP tickets are NOT available at Ford Park or through Ticketmaster.
NOTE: Ford Park does not allow baby strollers, any carryout containers or trays at the Taste of the Triangle
Taste 2010 Facts
Ø Taste 2010 is dedicated to the Young Men's Business League (YMBL) which annually supports SARA's Taste of the Triangle and Chef's Delight fundraisers. The YMBL sponsors the all-volunteer South Texas State Fair and annual YMBL World Championship Rodeo. These events help the league contribute thousands of dollars annually to dozens of charitable and community organizations.
Ø Taste 2010 is Co-Chaired by Monica Roberts and Bobby Beaver
Ø Taste 2010 is Sponsored by: Cheddar's Casual Café, Sysco and the YMBL
The Taste That Keeps on Giving (SARA Contributions to Community):
Ø Thanks to public support of annual Taste and Chef's Delight fundraisers, SARA established a $250,000 endowment in 2008 benefiting the Lamar University Hospitality Administration program. Money is being used for student scholarships and faculty development. In 2009, SARA awarded an additional $15,000 in scholarships to the Lamar University hospitality and culinary arts program and Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) food majors.
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Ø Since 1981, annual Tastes of the Triangle have helped SARA contribute a total of almost $800,000 in support to charitable and educational organizations in southeast Texas.
Ø Annual Tastes have also benefited LIT's annual Salute to the Real American Heroes, the young residents of Boys' and Girls' Havens, area 4-H students, the YMBL Special Olympics, and several organizations that feed and sustain families and seniors in need.
Food Service Facts:
Ø The food service industry continues to be the largest retail employer in the Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange metropolitan area, and next to the US government is the largest employer in the nation.
Ø Every $1 spent in Texas' restaurants generates an additional $1.44 in sales for our state's economy
Ø The Texas restaurant industry is expected to add 237,400 jobs over the next decade, with employment reaching 1.2. million by 2019. Restaurant jobs represent 10 percent of total employment in Texas
Ø Almost 1 in 10 working Americans are restaurant employees
Ø More than one out of four American adults got their first job in a restaurant
Ø Nearly half of all Americans have worked in a restaurant at some point in their lives.
Ø Eating and drinking places employ more minority managers than any other industry
Taste of the Triangle 2010 Dedicated to
Young Men's Business League
For the first time, the Sabine Area Restaurant Association (SARA) is dedicating its annual Taste of the Triangle to an entire organization. SARA salutes the Young Men's Business League – YMBL – for its years of support of the local food and beverage industry and for championing an entire community.
The YMBL is a group of civic-minded individuals who organized more than 90 years ago in an effort to do something for the southeast Texas community “above and beyond the normal business routine.” As President Ronald Reagan noted in a congratulatory letter to the organization on its 65th anniversary in 1982: “The YMBL is living proof that organizations of good purpose have a vital place in the life of every city.”
The bulk of the organization's operating funds come from sponsorship of the all-volunteer South Texas State Fair and the annual YMBL World Championship Rodeo. The fair is second in size to the State Fair, Dallas, with an attendance of more than 350,000 people from southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
Each year, the not-for-profit organization contributes thousands of dollars to civic groups and charitable institutions in need of financial support. The YMBL also sponsors several projects beneficial to high school boys and girls: The South Texas Shootout, the Girls Volleyball Tournament, the YMBL Junior Golf Tournament, and the High School Invitational Track and Field Meet that attracts some 700 top athletes from all over the state.
The Sabine Area Restaurant Association is a long-time contributor to YMBL annual Livestock Auctions benefiting area 4-H students. SARA has invested more than $400,000 in annual livestock purchases that are then processed and donated to charitable organizations including Girls' and Boys' Havens, the Hospitality Center of Port Arthur and Some Other Place in Beaumont. SARA also provides annual support for the YMBL Babe Zaharias Special Olympics, preparing and serving lunch for all the young athletes.
“We are honoring a group of very good guys who work hard and have done so much for our community for so many years, said SARA President Rich Courville. “They have always been strong supporters of the restaurant association and our annual Taste and Chef's Delight fundraisers which help us contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to educate young people and feed the hungry.”
“We've sponsored SARA fundraising efforts for several years,” explained YMBL President Chuck Kalkbrenner, “because of all the good the restaurant and beverage industry has done for our community. Most of their fundraising efforts, like ours, go to help kids, and anything that can help our young people we support.”
“It means a lot to us to be recognized by members of the Sabine Area Restaurant,” added Kalkbrenner.” SARA has afforded our hundreds of volunteer businessmen a great honor.”