Celebrity Chef Maneet Chauhan Partners With National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation For Nationwide Book Tour

CHICAGO, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Maneet Chauhan, James Beard award-winning celebrity chef and judge on Food Network's hit show Chopped, has partnered with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to kick off a national tour to launch her new book, Flavors of My World: A Culinary Tour Through 25 Countries (Favorite Recipes Press: May 1, 2013), co-authored by Doug Singer.

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As part of the 30-day, 21-city Cutting Edge Tour, Chauhan will appear at the NRAEF's 12^th Annual National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore, Md., from April 19-21. Chauhan will interact with 350 students from 43 states at the country's premier high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts as they demonstrate their mastery of restaurant leadership skills in a fast-paced contest to earn a share of $1.4 million in scholarships.

"We are thrilled to partner with renowned celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan on her Cutting Edge Tour and are honored to have her as our special guest at this year's National ProStart Invitational," said Rob Gifford, executive vice president of philanthropic initiatives for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "This competition is the culmination of months of hard work for our ProStart students; having Chef Chauhan present to provide insight and guidance is invaluable — truly a world-class opportunity."

Throughout the tour, Chauhan will also host competitions for ProStart students around the country. In each city, three ProStart students will compete in a classic cooking competition where they will have 40 minutes to create an entree that represents contemporary American cuisine. Students will be competing for the chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C. where they will spend the day cooking with one of the featured chefs of the White House Chef Tour™.

Flavors of My World pairs Maneet Chauhan's love of global cuisine with evocative anecdotes as she details 50 delicious food and beverage recipes from around the globe. The Cutting Edge Tour kicks off in New York City on April 18 and will make stops in cities across the country leading up to the 2013 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago May 18-21 at McCormick Place. The tour will stop in Baltimore, Denver, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles, before wrapping up in Chicago on May 16.

The ProStart program brings the industry and the classroom together to give 95,000 students nationwide a platform to discover new interests and talents, while opening doors to fulfilling careers. With national and local support from industry members, educators, the NRAEF and state restaurant associations, ProStart is taught in 1,700 schools. For more information on the ProStart program, visit NRAEF.org/ProStart or find us on Twitter or Facebook. Watch live streaming of the NRAEF's 12^th Annual National ProStart Invitational at http://www.nraef.org/watchlive.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation:

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)'s goal is to enhance the stature of the restaurant industry. The restaurant and foodservice industry comprises 980,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13 million employees, making it one of the nation's largest employers. The NRAEF's focus is to attract, develop and retain a career-oriented professional workforce and to create a more positive business climate for the restaurant industry. For more information on the NRAEF, visit NRAEF.org.

Contact:
Amanda DelPrete
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
[email protected]

Megan Meyer
NRAEF
312-715-6741
[email protected]

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation