Le Cordon Bleu–Seattle Chef Darryl Dela Cruz Relocates to Paterson, NJ to Serve The Poor
Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) July 15, 2013 -- Executive Director Marie Reger announced today that Chef Darryl Dela Cruz, formerly a Le Cordon Bleu instructor in Seattle, WA, has joined Eva’s Village as Executive Chef Director, to oversee all food operations and assist in establishing The Culinary School at Eva’s Village for Eva’s Village clients and in the community at large.
Ms. Reger says, “We are all very pleased to have Chef Darryl join us here at Eva’s Village.” “His skills as a chef-educator will help to improve the nutrition of all the food served to our clients and to help establish our new training program for the Culinary Arts.”
Eva’s Village currently serves an average of 400 hungry homeless and working poor people a hot noon meal 365 days a year at their Eva’s Community Kitchen dining room, located at 393 Main Street, Paterson NJ. In addition, approximately 800 meals are prepared daily for those in residential programs, amounting to more than 438,000 meals annually. Ms. Reger notes that almost all the funds required for these meals come from individuals, foundations, corporations and events.
Chef Darryl says he found the position offered at Eva’s Village a rewarding opportunity, and his wife and two children are also excited about relocating to New Jersey from Seattle, WA. “I am looking to utilize my culinary skills, particularly teaching, to make a real and lasting difference in people’s lives,” he commented. ”Working for Eva’s is the challenge and social responsibility I have been looking for,” he continued. Chef Darryl hopes to work with various sources in “The Garden State” to include more freshly prepared vegetables and fruits to improve the nutritional value of the food provided in all of Eva’s Village programs.
Donna Marie Fico, Director of Marketing and Education at Eva’s Village notes that a culinary school to help individuals develop job skills for careers in the food service industry has been in the planning stages for some time., “Eva’s board of directors authorized the culinary program more than two years ago, and we have been working diligently with an advisory board for social enterprise, to formulate the right program and recruit someone of Chef Darryl’s stature and ability; I’m thrilled to have him on board and look forward to planning the curriculum and enrolling our first class in 2014."
Chef Darryl will work with the advisory board to develop externship partners in the food industry and plan the secondary functions such as family meals, catering, and other food-related endeavors. Committee members include Mark Schmit, formerly President and CEO of Engineered Assemblies Corporation (EAS) and a former Eva’s Village board member; D. Peter Keller, Owner, The Madison Hotel, Rod’s Steak and Seafood Grill, Morristown and currently a member of Eva’s Village Board; Fil Silva, General Manager, The Market Basket, Franklin Lakes; and John Cinquino, President, Cinquino+Co Brand Communications Agency, Woodland Park.
About Chef Darryl Dela Cruz:
Raised in Hawaii, Chef Darryl Dela Cruz received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii and worked in marketing before pursuing his love of cooking. In 1987, he received a Certificate of Achievement in Culinary Arts from Maui Community College (MCC) and began his cooking career at the Intercontinental Hotel, Maui. In 1992, he joined MCC, where he advanced to Associate Professor. He served as Chef de Cuisine at the Blue Sage Café in Portland, OR and was most recently an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu–Seattle, WA.
In 2000, The Maui Chefs and Cooks Association (ACF) named him the 2000 Chef of the Year. In 2002, he received the University of Hawaii Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2004, was a scholarship recipient of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. Chef Darryl was recognized in Who’s Who of America’s Teachers in 2002 and 2005. In 2012, Career Education Corporation (CEC) honored Chef Darryl Dela Cruz and others as among their finest instructors at its 12th annual Educator of the Year Awards.
With his many professional relationships, he regularly invites culinary professionals into the classroom to serve as judges, adding to the critiques his students receive as part of their education.
About Eva’s Village:
Initially founded as Eva’s Kitchen by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in 1982 as a response to the poor and homeless in Paterson, NJ, Eva’s Village is now an extensive and comprehensive non-profit social service organization. Through more than three decades of service, Eva’s Village has established a unique record in facing community challenges and changing the lives of the hungry, homeless and addicted. It has grown from a simple soup kitchen to become the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey. Eva’s Village now includes fourteen integrated programs housed in numerous buildings spanning several city blocks in Downtown Paterson. Some of its programs include Eva’s Kitchen, The Culinary School at Eva’s Village,Eva’s Shelters for Men and for Women, Hope Residence for Mothers and Children, Eva’s Village Medical and Dental Clinic, Eva’s Residential Treatment Program for Men and for Women, Eva’s Outpatient Programs for Men and for Women, The Peer Driven Recovery Center at Eva's Village (the first of its kind in New Jersey) and Eva’s Village Apartments, fifty units of new affordable housing in downtown Paterson.
Joanne, Fagan, Eva's Village, 973-523-6220 228, [email protected]
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