FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Andrea Parr Director of PR & Digital Media 502.574.9934 aparr@hqtrs.com 35th Anniversary Conference to Feature Scholarship Showdown SHFM Launches New Culinary Competition for Students Louisville, KY (October 24, 2014) – The Society for Hospitality & Foodservice Management (SHFM), the preeminent national association serving the needs and interests of executives in the corporate foodservice and hospitality industry, will host its annual conference November 4 – 6 in Uncasville, Connecticut, at the Mohegan Sun Hotel & Spa. With a theme of Envision the Future: Celebrating our Legacy, Crafting our Destiny, this 35th Anniversary conference will feature an exciting new future-focused element – the SHFM Scholarship Showdown. The SHFM Scholarship Showdown, a student culinary competition, modeled after several popular TV series, will culminate with a scholarship for the final winner. Celebrity Chef Marc Forgione will serve as one of the judges for the competition, while experienced competition host Chef Jet Tila will MC the event. Some of the contenders for the SHFM Scholarship Showdown include:  Emeril Lagasse Scholar Matthew McDonald. McDonald, named Student Culinarian of the Year by ACF is a Culinary/FSM Major at Johnson & Wales University. McDonald and his team prepared and presented gold medal-winning cold food platters at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) culinary salon in New York, NY.  The Culinary Institute of America student and Dallas, Texas native Acenette Gonzalez. Gonzalez completed an externship at the restaurant Sugarri in Hondarribia, Spain, only to return and compete in the San Pellegrino Almost Famous chef competition – and winning overall signature dish nationwide.  In addition to serving as a supervisor at one of the UMASS Amherst retail dining locations, Josh Perilli has owned his own painting business for years. Perilli will graduate in the spring of 2015 and plans to be an entrepreneur in the arena of hospitality management. “The mission of the SHFM Foundation is to provide opportunities and support in the form of scholarships for the next generation of corporate foodservice and hospitality leaders,” says Matthew Merson, SHFM Foundation Chair. “While the Showcase will highlight the skills of these students, the silent auction that will be happening during the competition will allow the Foundation to continue to build our industry.” “As we look back at SHFM’s history during our 35th Anniversary conference – and the ways in which our members and association impact the productivity and morale of millions of workers every day – we are also looking ahead,” says Sabrina Capannola, SHFM President. “I am so excited to introduce this new component to the 2014 conference. These students represent the future of our industry and we hope to hear more from them and their peers at our 40th Anniversary conference!” In addition to the Scholarship Showdown, SHFM’s 35th Anniversary conference will feature educational seminars on professional development and industry issues, interactive events, networking opportunities, and national speakers. Conference registration is open on the SHFM conference website. ### The Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management is the pre-eminent national association serving the needs and interests of executives in the corporate foodservice and workplace hospitality services. Our principal role is to enhance the ability of our members to achieve career and business objectives in an ethical, responsible and professional climate. For more information, please visit www.shfm-online.org.