2 restaurants lauded for community service

CRANSTON – Gracie’s Venture in Providence and Evelyn’s Nanaquaket Drive-In in Tiverton have been honored by the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association with awards that put them in the running for the National Restaurant Association’s 10th annual Restaurant Neighbor Award, the local organization announced today.

“Rhode Island restaurateurs have shown extraordinary achievements in community service yet again this year,” RIHTA President and CEO Dale J. Venturini said in a statement. She commended the two winners for “their passion for excellence in the kitchen and their commitment to their community.”

Evelyn’s Nanaquaket Drive-In was honored for an ongoing community program called Singing Out Against Hunger. The drive-in hosts weekends of free music at which it collects canned goods and money for the local East Bay community. Evelyn’s sixth annual Singing Out event starts today.

Gracie’s Ventures – a March of Dimes Rhode Island donor – hosts free Thanksgiving dinners each year for local families who have children in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The restaurant also participates in the annual March for Babies, the Citizen of the Year Ceremony and the Chef’s Signature Auction.

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The two local restaurants – like last year’s Rhode Island winners, Chef John Philcox of Café Zelda in Newport and Lombardi’s 1025 Club of Johnston (READ MORE – will compete with finalists from the other 49 states.

The awards are a chance to recognize corporate philanthropy, National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney said in a statement. One grand prize winner in each of four categories – small business; mid-sized business; large business/national chain; and cornerstone humanitarian of the year – will receive a $5,000 award to help continue its charity work.

“Restaurants are the cornerstone of local communities across the nation, supporting local and national initiatives or creating their own programs to make a difference in issues about which they are passionate,” Sweeney said.

The 2008 national winners will be announced during the national organization’s annual public affairs conference, slated for Sept. 23 and 24 in Washington, D.C.

The Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association, with more than 600 food-service and hospitality members across the Ocean State, has been giving a voice to the state’s hospitality and tourism industry for more than 25 years. For additional information, visit www.rihospitality.org.

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