News
ICON HONORS Call for Submissions
The 2011 ICON HONORS’ call for submissions
and nominations is now open, inviting retailers,
manufacturers, sales agents and service providers to compete for top recognition in the home
and gift industry’s newest and coveted honors
program.
All entering the 2011 ICON HONORS program
will have the opportunity to submit in three
categories – Innovation, Contribution, Achievement – at the official Web site www.am
eri-casmarticonhonors.com.
Winning entries will be announced at the 2011
ICON HONORS Celebration in Atlanta on
Thursday, July 14, 2011, during the Atlanta
International Gift & Home Furnishings Market.
Notable in the 2011 ICON competition are
newly structured Honors recognizing Innovative
Technology Applications, Eco-Friendly Product
Packaging, Licensed Product Innovations and
Sustainable Business Practices. All submissions
entered in competition for Innovation and
Contribution Honors must be for programs
conducted and completed between Jan. 1 and
Dec. 31, 2010.
the
NYIGF Call Retailer Excellence
Nominees
Nominations for the NYIGF-sponsored
Retailer Excellence Awards (REAs) are
being accepted through Friday, April 22,
with 2011 Award winners scheduled to be
announced in New York City, on Sunday,
August 14, 6:30-10:00PM, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Applications and
nomination forms are available online at
www.nyigf.com.
The REAs recognize excellence in four retail categories including Gift Store Design/
Redesign; Marketing Achievement; Visual
Merchandising/Display; and Store Events,
as well as for individual achievement (Rep
of the Year and In-dustry Rising Star).
As part of this very special evening, Gift
For Life, the gift and home industry’s only
charitable organization, also bestows its
prestigious annual “Industry Achievement”
Award. Retail category applications and
nominations forms can be submitted by
retailers or by manufacturers’ representatives; nominations for “Rep of the Year”
can be submitted by retailers only; and
nominations for “Rising Star” are limited
to individuals or companies who have
made their mark in four years of business
or less. NYIGF runs Saturday, August 13,
through Thursday, August 18, 2011, at the
Javits Center and Passenger Ship Terminal
Piers 92 and 94 in New York City. Information and registration is available online at
www.nyigf.com.
will plant kale, then prepare and taste it at
lunch time. School gardens will never be a
significant contribution to the raw ingredients
for the base cafeterias, but activities like this
can help introduce new foods and increase
their acceptance among students.
The group’s assessment of the program is now:
1. The City Schools of Decatur cafeterias are
at the forefront of the local, statewide and
national curve of providing healthy and fresh
meals to children.
2. The cafeteria workers are working harder
to produce freshly cooked meals instead of
“heat and eat.” The increased work is offset
by job satisfaction derived from the cooks
walking the breakfast and lunch rooms to
“feel the love” and enjoying compliments
from the kids.
The Cook’s Warehouse Continues to Grow
(continued from page 42)
3. Importantly, Weissman reported that the
parents are keenly interested and highly
pleased with the changes made to the
meal program.
4. Training for the kitchen staff has also
changed their own cooking and eating habits
at home: some 60 percent of staff reported
increased fresh fruit and vegetables being
served and consumed by family members.
This Decatur kitchen staff training program is
a joint project of Matthew Rao of Rao Design
Studio; The Cook’s Warehouse; Georgia Organics and the Atlanta Chapter of Les Dames
d’Escoffier International. It is meant to teach
easy, efficient and inspired cooking to those
front-line cafeteria workers who feed our
children one or two meals, five days a week.
