Name change made official!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION SERVING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY APPROVES NAME CHANGE

The Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation announced today that the Board of Directors has approved changing the organization’s name to the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation (RAMEF).  Since 1994 it has been the education arm of the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) and the name change better reflects the partnership between the two organizations.

“This name change does not change who we are as an organization.  Our core values still revolve around Improving the Hospitality Industry through Education.  Changing the name to the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation allows us to better market ourselves and better serve the entire hospitality industry” stated Linda Eby, Chairwomen of the Board of Directors.  Eby is the Director of Marketing for the Performance Food Group, Carroll County Foods in New Windsor, Maryland.

The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation will continue to pursue the mission of being the preferred source of education, training, resources and research for Maryland's hospitality and tourism industries.  RAMEF offers food safety certifications through the nationally recognized ServSafe^® program and also offers the Maryland’s BEST responsible alcohol service certification.  These programs are the backbone of the education that RAMEF provides to those in the hospitality industry, training nearly 3,000 people each year.

“We will continue to serve all aspects of the hospitality and foodservice industry” said Marshall Weston Jr., Executive Vice President of RAMEF.  “Our outreach targets all foodservice operations whether they are hotels, cafés, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, taverns or restaurants.”

RAMEF also works toward educating the future workforce through the ProStart^® program.  The ProStart program is a high school culinary and hospitality management curriculum that also requires 400 hours of paid industry work experience in order to receive a ProStart National Certificate of Achievement.  Students completing the ProStart program are qualified to enter the workforce in positions that are above entry level and are on a fast track to management careers.  ProStart is endorsed by the Maryland State Department of Education and also prepares students for post secondary education at culinary schools and hospitality management programs.  There are currently 85 high schools and 2800 students in the program in Maryland.

Paul Hartgen, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland stated, “Whether it’s ServSafe certifications or the ProStart program, RAMEF helps meet the needs of the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s 2500 members and non members alike.  This sector has over 9,600 establishments and 170,000 employees.  The better educated and more professional we become, the stronger we are as an industry.”

Scholarship programs such as the Marcia S. Harris Legacy Fund, the Letitia B. Carter Scholarship Fund and the Co-branded Scholarship in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will continue to be awarded through RAMEF.  $50,000 in scholarships were awarded to high school graduates, post secondary students and industry professionals over the past year through the work of the Foundation.

More information on the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation and the Scholarship programs mentioned above can be found at www.ramef.org.

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The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation is a 501(C)(3) non profit organization that partners with the Restaurant Association of Maryland to educate the hospitality workforce in Maryland.  RAMEF offers certifications in food safety and responsible alcohol service along with server and hospitality management training.  RAMEF also supports the high schools in Maryland using the ProStart^® program, a culinary and hospitality management curriculum for high school students that is endorsed by the Maryland State Department of Education.  Website:  www.ramef.org