PR&LA Winter 2018

26  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2018 MEMBER MILESTONES Berks-Schuylkill Chapter The Berks-Schuylkill Chapter met at the Peanut Bar in Reading for an in-depth legislative briefing by Melissa Bova, PRLA vice- president of government affairs. Thank you to Mike Leifer for hosting and offering up delicious appetizers for everyone to enjoy. Singer Equipment announced last fall that it had acquired Ashland Equipment, a leading foodservice equipment contract dealer in the greater Maryland and Virginia market. Singer Equipment this winter also acquired Maryland-based Facilities Services Inc. Congratulations! Brandywine Chapter You can now find Bassetts Ice Cream in South Korea! The first Bassetts Ice Cream Café opened on June 7, 2017 in Seoul as the result of a meeting between Bassetts President Michael Strange and a brother and sister team who run a chain of Beigel Café stores in South Korea. Steve and Mia Yoon loved the ice cream so much that they decided not only to serve it at the existing cafes but to create a new franchise model called Bassett Ice Cream Café. As of October 2017, the Yoons have successfully opened 16 Bassetts Ice Cream Cafes across the country, including the vacation island of Jeju. Happy Anniversary! In November, Jim Petro and his team at Triple Fresh Catering celebrated 30 years of serving their customers and community. The Triple Fresh Market is the one of the oldest continuously operating food establishments in the country. The original building was built in 1818. Jim purchased the market in 1987 and began to offer catering. Triple Fresh had a week-long Anniversary Party offering free samples to customers as well as encouraging customers to post their memories on the Triple Fresh website. Congratulations! The P.J.W. Restaurant Group opened its 15th and 16th P.J. Whelihan’s restaurants in Fall 2017. The restaurant locations are in Malvern and Newtown Square, respectively. With the addition of the Newtown Square venue, the group celebrates an overall corporate growth to 21 restaurants, including the Pour House, Treno Pizza Bar and The ChopHouse concepts. Wow! Mike Touhey hit a hole-in-one at the Brandywine Chapter’s Fourth Annual Golf Outing. Chapter members and their guests enjoyed the day at Applecross Country Club. Event proceeds benefit the PRLAEF Scholarship Fund. Thank you to the golfers and sponsors! Bucks-Mont Chapter The Taste of Bucks-Mont was a great success in its second year! The event, held at The Fuge, attracted 250 attendees who enjoyed samplings from 35 vendors representing restaurants, food vendors, craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Five student culinary teams participated in an “Iron Chef” competition. Event attendees also cast their votes for Best of Taste of Bucks- Mont: Best Appetizer—Bernies; Best Beer—Crooked Eye Brewery; Best Signature Beverage—Stateside Urban Craft Vodka; Best Dessert—Desrtine’s; and Best Entrée—Greene Turtle. The event raised money for PRLAEF Scholarship Fund and the American Culinary Federation Philadelphia Chapter. Central Chapter The Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey’s deck was the scene for a great evening of networking among Central Chapter members and their guests. The summer picnic featured delicious fare supplied by The Garlic Poet, Grain & Verse Bottlehouse, Harrisburg Hilton, Holiday Inn Grantville, Devon Seafood, Revittle, Hershey Country Club, and Pepsi. Of course, there was a variety of beers and wines to enjoy! Thank you to everyone for attending and contributing to a successful event! The Central Chapter held its 27th Annual Golf Outing in October to benefit the PRLA Central Chapter Scholarship Fund and the Pennsylvania State Police South Central Club Cadet Camp, a free camp for youth, ages 13–15. The event was held at the beautiful Hershey Country Club’s East and West Courses. Thank you to the Golf Tournament Committee, event sponsors and purveyors, and participants for your continued support of this event! Hershey Entertainment & Resorts partnered with the American Culinary Federation to create an Apprentice Program for culinary students. Chefs Robert Corle and Brian Peffley, both instructors at Lebanon County Career and Technology Center, are the brand ambassadors for the program as they began their culinary careers as apprentices. Both chefs also worked for HE&R. “It is a privilege to align with my former employer and pay it forward by instilling a love for the culinary profession in student apprentices,” said Chef Peffley. Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar partnered with Impossible Foods to be the first full-service, multi-unit restaurant brand in Central Pennsylvania to offer the Impossible Burger. The Impossible Burger is a meat-free option designed for meat-lovers.