Cooking to help

    /24-7PressRelease.com/ - March 4, 2005 - South East Asia needs help. And the chefs of the world are helping with what they can do best: cooking. „We have decided to focus on the foodservice and the hospitality industries which are the main sources of revenues for many of the afflicted countries", emphasizes Ferdinand Metz, president of the World Assocation of Cooks Societies (WACS) which represents eight million cooks and chefs in more than 70 member countries. „With fund drives in all member nations we hope to distribute aid to those who face the greatest need. In many of the WACS member countries there are currently such fundraising activities underway, the results of which will be announced in the near future."
The Tsunami tragedy in South East Asia has afflicted a number of nations, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and Bangladesh. In order to help and lend a hand wherever it is needed, the fundraising activities - Phase I - within the WACS network are diverse. As these few examples show:
· The Canterbury Chefs from New Zealand founded „Dine Aid" and encouraged restaurants, bistros and cafes to sign up and donate $1 (or equivalent currency) from the food bill of each dinner.
· The Singapore Junior Chef's Club raised S$ 5,000 for the Tsunami victims by selling cookies - in fact, they sold 24,278 pieces!
· The Australian Culinary Federation has decided to donate the money of all fundraising activities in 2005 to South East Asia. The BBQ concept is called „Sizzle the kids" and plans to raise $250,000 for kids in need.
In addition, WACS is working on various projects such as:
· Train-The-Trainer program
· Chef-Helping-chef activites
· „WACS Burger" initiative
· Scholarships
· Sponsoring of a foodservice class room and/or instructional materials

Raising the profile of the chef's profession is one of the major goals that WACS is aiming at. And it is one of the major reason why the WACS board is currently developing a comprehensive plan for Phase II of the Tsunami relief effort.
Chefs care!

Find out more about us at www.wacs2000.org


For further information please contact
Textvision, Aina Keller
Phone +49 (0)40 555 300 20
Fax +49 (0)40 555 300 21
E-Mail: [email protected]

The World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS) is a non-political professional organization, dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines. We accomplish these goals through education, training and professional development of our international membership. The worldwide network of member nations, each represented by a country's largest and most prestigious Chefs Associaton - first founded in October 1928 in Paris. Today WACS represents a global community of culinarians in more than 70 countries, with a membership estimated in excess of eight million cooks and chefs.

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