Tickets Still Available for Event This Saturday That Teaches Local Students the "Recipes for Success"

DETROIT, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not too often that a student is served a side of "Key Lime Pie Surprise" by the head of a Fortune 500 company, but this Saturday at "100 Leaders Who Cook: Nourishing Our Future," that's about to change.

Hosted by the Detroit Housing Commission (DHC) on Saturday, November 12 at The Masonic Temple in Detroit, 100 Leaders Who Cook will provide area students the opportunity to interact with business, religious, education and political leaders from throughout Metro Detroit who will serve the kids their favorite dishes while counseling them on the professions of their dreams.  

Funds raised from the event will be used to set up a scholarship fund for students residing in Detroit Housing Commission-owned properties. Currently, more than 950 high school-aged students reside in these properties throughout the city. The Detroit Housing Commission is the largest affordable housing developer currently building multifamily housing units in Michigan.  

"In addition to raising funds for scholarships, 100 Leaders Who Cook will set the stage for our future leaders by granting these children attending the event access to community luminaries they would never have the opportunity to meet otherwise," said Eugene E. Jones, Jr., executive director of the Detroit Housing Commission.  

Honorary co-chairs of the event are The Honorable Dave Bing, Mayor of the City of Detroit; Denise Ilitch, president, Ilitch Enterprises, and Richard E. Dauch, chairman and CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing.  

So far, the list of business, religious and political leaders as cooks includes Michigan Senator Carl Levin; Aaron Dworkin, President of Sphinx Organization; Lydia Guitterez, President of Hacienda Mexican Foods; Vince Paul, President of Music Hall Center for Performing Arts; Nat Pernick, Executive Director of The Detroit College Promise; Darryl Taylor, Executive Director of Horizons Upward Bound; Trey Fabacher, Vice President and Station Manager of WWJ-TV/WKBD-TV; Juanita Moore, President and CEO of Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; Jeff Murri, Vice President and General Manager of Fox 2 Detroit; Pastor Wilma Johnson from New Prospect Baptist Church; Judge Cynthia Stephens from Michigan First District Court of Appeals; Anne Parsons, President of Detroit Symphony Orchestra; David Fike, President of Marygrove College; Irma Clark-Coleman, Wayne County Commissioner; Debra DeBose, Director of Advancement of HUB; Daniel Kirchbaum, Director of Michigan Department of Civil Rights; Isabella Nicoletti, Corporate Chef of Weight Watchers – and the list goes on.

"We are very pleased with the positive response we have received so far," said Jones.  "It's all about the kids.  The chefs are excited about the event and the fact that the money raised will go for college and continuing-education scholarships," Jones added.

Chefs are invited to prepare an appetizer, an entree or a dessert.  "There are many people throughout our community who take their cooking and baking very seriously and they are quite good at it," said Jones.  "We are looking forward to an event that will be filled with outstanding food and good natured-competition among the chefs.  It will be a fun and memorable afternoon."

Tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for students under the age of 18.  Patron tickets are $40 and allow one adult admission to the event and provide admission for two students who ordinarily would not be able to attend the event.  Tickets can be purchased online at: http://100Leaders.eventbrite.com. Tickets will also be available on site at the event or by calling (313) 877-8608.

Organizers are reaching out to the Metro Detroit business community to help make the event successful and to raise as much funds as possible for the scholarships.  Numerous sponsorship opportunities at various levels are still available. For information on sponsorships, please call Hermanoff Public Relations at (248) 851-3993.

About Detroit Housing Commission

The Detroit Housing Commission provides quality affordable housing in a safe living environment for low and moderate-income residents of the Detroit Metropolitan area. DHC is the largest public housing agency in Michigan and is committed to developing state of the art affordable housing in mixed-income communities with the addition of community, educational, recreational, homeownership and training programs. For more information, visit www.dhcmi.org.

SOURCE 100 Leaders Who Cook