Dinerware supports FareStart and Ryther
Seattle, WA – Dinerware, Inc., a leading developer of restaurant POS (point of sale) software, today announced its sponsorship of Ryther teens to attend the December 1st Guest Chef Night at FareStart featuring acclaimed chef, Jerry Traunfeld of Poppy.
Every Thursday night, a different Guest Chef works with FareStart’s students to prepare a three-course meal for over 200 guests served at the FareStart Restaurant. The three course meal and graduation ceremony is an opportunity for two organizations to bring together groups who face similar challenges with a single message of hope. The graduation ceremony, a highlight of the weekly Guest Chef Nights, celebrates the students who have completed FareStart’s job training program. The program provides disadvantaged men and women with job training and assistance with finding employment opportunities in the food service industry.
This evening also promises to bring the Ryther youths a message of encouragement at a crucial time in their lives. “Supporting FareStart and its mission to support homeless people to become self-sufficient is important and touches many of the teenage boys in our substance abuse inpatient program,” Marie MacCoy, Inpatient Substance Abuse Program Supervisor at Ryther. She continued, “We have teens that often don’t think they can achieve success and who don’t have social skills and job training. Many of our clients want to go into the culinary arts, and I think it will be great for our teen boys to see others who have had disadvantages change their lives and achieve what they set out to accomplish – I think it will inspire hope.”
FareStart welcomes the teens from Ryther. “We’re excited to have the Ryther and Dinerware group join us for Guest Chef Night. The students in our program come from many different walks of life and have overcome some incredible challenges,” Christina Starr, FareStart’s Marketing Communications Manager. “They are a wonderful example of what can be achieved despite significant obstacles.”
This year also marks Jerry Traunfeld’s third consecutive year participating in Guest Chef Night at FareStart. “I feel the direct connection with students of the program very rewarding. I was raised with the belief that the best help you can give is the kind that enables others to help themselves,” Traunfeld stated. “I’m impressed with how capable and enthusiastic the students are, especially with little kitchen experience.”
He also congratulates FareStart for their recognition from the James Beard Foundation. FareStart was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award earlier this year. The recent accolade underscores the focus and dedication FareStart continues to bring to the community and food service industry.
Dinerware sought a way to bring two communities together in a way that would benefit all involved. Dinerware will act as financial sponsors for the Ryther adolescents, and Dinerware staff will be table servers for the Ryther group.
“Both Ryther and FareStart help people realize their untapped potential,” said Jeff Riley, Dinerware CEO. “We feel that Dinerware can make a small but meaningful difference by bringing these two together and serving them as our customers for a memorable evening of fine dining and inspiration.”
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Dinerware provides restaurant (point of sale) systems to fine dining, cafes, nightclubs, bars, fast casual, counter service, QSR, hotels, casinos, golf courses and wineries. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington and sold worldwide, Dinerware provides intuitive systems for the hospitality industry. Please visit http://www.dinerware.com or call (866) 346-3792.
Ryther is a recognized leader in behavioral health services for children and their families facing complex challenges. They are dedicated to providing comprehensive services and innovative treatments. Ryther serves children and adolescents referred by parents, physicians, state agencies, courts, schools and other providers working with children. Their services include programs and solutions for families with children who have challenges stemming from trauma, mental illness, substance abuse, Autism Spectrum Disorders or adjustment issues with school, peers or parents. They guide, coach and teach so that every child and family they work with may experience new ways of thinking, develop positive relationships and realize a better life. For more information, please visit www.ryther.org.
FareStart provides a community that transforms lives by empowering homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and families to achieve self-sufficiency through life skills, job training and employment in the food service industry. Over the past 19 years, FareStart has provided opportunities for nearly 5,000 people to transform their lives, while also serving over 4.5 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children. Every day, men and women transform their lives in the 16-week adult program, which includes culinary training, life-skills classes, counseling, and assistance with housing, food, clothing and other support services to assist FareStart students as they change their lives. FareStart’s Graduate Support Services program provides ongoing guidance to adult graduates, providing a full year (and sometimes longer) of support to help individuals move forward to self-sufficiency. FareStart, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, generates about one third of its annual operating revenue through business operations, such as Guest Chef Night at the FareStart Restaurant. For more information, visit www.farestart.org.
About Jerry Traunfeld
Jerry Traunfeld is chef and owner of Poppy, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Inspired by the “thali”, a platter served to each guest holding a variety of small dishes, he presents his own style of Northwest cooking, highlighting seasonal ingredients, fresh herbs, and spices. Poppy was named one of 50 best new restaurants in the U.S. in Travel and Leisure and made the Condé Nast hot list of 50 top new restaurants in the world
From 1990 to 2007 Jerry was executive chef at the highly acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant. In 2000, he won the James Beard award for Best Chef: Northwest, and was a semifinalist nominee for the nationwide Outstanding Chef Award in 2010 and 2011. Jerry is the author of two award-winning cookbooks, The Herbfarm Cookbook, and The Herbal Kitchen. He has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Fortune, and many other publications, and has appeared on Martha Stewart Living and competed on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters.
