May 13, 2013
- Sonja Spowart joins California Restaurant Association as senior vice president of finance, operations
(SACRAMENTO, May 20, 2013) – Sonja Spowart has been named senior vice president of finance and operations at the California Restaurant Association (CRA). An accomplished executive and Elk Grove resident, Spowart has an extensive background in finance and non-profit management.Spowart’s role will be expansive, overseeing all finance-related initiatives, as well as membership and business development, information technology and marketing and communications.
“We are pleased to welcome Sonja and look forward to ushering a new era for our association,” CRA President + CEO Jot Condie said. “She is a consummate professional and we’re confident she will be an outstanding addition to our team, making it possible for us to explore and execute many new enterprises.”
Spowart joins the CRA after serving for two-and-a-half years as chief financial officer of KVIE, Sacramento’s public television station. Before KVIE, she was controller at the California School Boards Association, a private non-profit organization and its affiliated entities, for more than 10 years.
She also worked as an audit manager for Ernst & Young, Sacramento, having accepted an employment and relocation offer enabling her to emigrate from South Africa where she was an assurance and advisory services manager for Ernst & Young, Johannesburg.
Spowart studied accounting at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of South Africa. She is an in-abstention member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and has been a member of the California Board of Accountancy since January 2001.
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May 13, 2013
- San Diego City Council to vote on proposed changes to sidewalk café regulations Tuesday
The San Diego City Council will vote on proposed changes to the city’s regulation and permitting process for sidewalk cafés at its meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 202 C St. in San Diego.
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April 18, 2013
- FoodVoice.com to provide users with a glimpse at survey results
APP BUILT TO GET REAL-TIME FEEDBACK FROM OPERATORS LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO BROADEN REACH, GIVE USERS IDEA OF WHERE THEY STAND
(SACRAMENTO – April 18) – FoodVoice, a smartphone application developed for the restaurant industry by the California Restaurant Association (CRA), is pleased to announce the launch of FoodVoice.com, a website built to showcase the app’s features, as well as survey results.
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April 11, 2013
- California Restaurant Association welcomes four new staffers
- The California Restaurant Association (CRA) family has been growing, with the addition of four new members of the staff in recent weeks.
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April 5, 2013
- CRA wins four awards celebrating excellence in public relations
The California Restaurant Association (CRA) was recognized for its stellar public relations efforts in 2012 at the 26th annual CAPPIE Awards Gala, hosted by the Sacramento Public Relations Association April 4 in Sacramento.
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April 3, 2013
- Darden Restaurants grants CRA Educational Foundation funds to provide scholarship outreach
GRANT IS ONE OF MORE THAN 850 AWARDED THROUGH DARDEN’S RESTAURANT COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM
(Sacramento, April 3, 2013) – The California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF) has received a $2,000 grant as part of the Restaurant Community Grants program from the Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants Inc. The grants program, now in its second year, empowers each restaurant in the Darden family of brands to help award a $1,000 grant to support local community programs.
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March 19, 2013
- Pacifica, La Quinta high schools claim top spots at 2013 California ProStart Cup
(SACRAMENTO, March 19, 2013) – Out of 27 high schools in California competing at the 2013 California ProStart Cup, Pacifica and La Quinta high school came out on top. Students, instructors and industry leaders celebrated their victories at an awards ceremony Monday at the Pasadena Convention Center concluding the 11th annual event, presented by the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF). Competition was fierce at this year’s event, with three of the six top teams having never placed before in the competition’s history.
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March 12, 2013
- California ProStart Cup kicks off Sunday in Pasadena
(SACRAMENTO, March 12, 2013) – More than 200 high school students will descend on the Pasadena Convention Center Sunday and Monday for the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (CRAEF) eleventh annual California ProStart Cup, including the Boyd’s Coffee Culinary Cup, and the BJ’s Restaurants Management Cup.
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March 1, 2013
- CRA Fresno chapter to honor former Lime Lite owners with Best of the Valley Lifetime Achievement Award
More than 500 restaurant operators and industry partners will convene Monday for the 2012 Best of the Valley Restaurant Awards gala hosted by the California Restaurant Association Fresno chapter. The event will honor George and Cathy Milutinovich, longstanding owners of the Lime Lite Restaurant and Bar, who are the recipients of the 2012 Best of the Valley Lifetime Achievement Award.
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February 28, 2013
- Le Cordon Bleu to serve as gold sponsor of CRAEF's California ProStart Cup
Le Cordon Bleu will serve as a gold sponsor for the 2012 California ProStart Cup presented by the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF). The state competition will be held March 17-18 at the Pasadena Convention Center.
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