Chef James Nowak, Executive Chef at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, was honored as the chef recipient of this year’s Salute to Excellence Awards, presented by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation (WRA EF).

Each year, the WRA EF recognizes five individuals and one company for dedication and commitment to education in the restaurant industry. Salute to Excellence honorees have made contributions to the future of the industry through their commitment to education.

The WRA EF honors Chef James Nowak with the Chef award for both his passion for the industry and for dedicating his time to education and his community.

Having spent 25 years in the industry, Chef Nowak is a very accomplished Executive Chef. He has spent a majority of his years working for fine resorts and hotels in Wisconsin and Minnesota, graduated from the Chef’s Apprenticeship program at Milwaukee Area Technical College and has been certified by the National Restaurant Association. He is very active in the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and will serve as the host for the prestigious 2007 ACF Regional Central Conference. His involvement with ACF also includes educational causes. Chef Nowak serves on the ACF Board of Apprenticeship and is also involved with the Culinary Arts Section of Externships. In 2006, he was appointed to the Wisconsin Apprenticeship Advisory Board Council.

Chef Nowak’s dedication to education does not stop there. He is also involved with work-based learning programs in various Milwaukee area schools and works with externs at the Minnesota and Pittsburgh Cordon Blue Schools.

Dedicated to the community, Chef Nowak is involved with several area charities including Taste of Milwaukee, Taste of the Nation, Bon Appetite, Second Harvest and the National Association for Mental Illness Milwaukee Chapter.

Other 2006 Salute to Excellence honorees include Jim Marks (Riversite Restaurant and River Lane Inn), Boelter Companies, Tom Boyle (Posthumus, Society Insurance), Marita “Mic” Pietrykowski (Waukesha County Technical College) and Jolene Goeden-Massuch (Watertown High School). Each honoree has worked in a variety of roles to create opportunities for people interested in foodservice industry careers. They work in different parts of the state and in different professions, but they share an enthusiasm and optimism for the future of the restaurant industry.

The Salute to Excellence awards were presented at the 2006 Celebration of Excellence held on Sunday, October 15 at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva.

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Founded in 1987, the WRA Education Foundation is one of the largest state restaurant association foundations in the U.S. It strives to create a promising future for the foodservice industry by raising awareness of foodservice as a professional career path, providing ongoing training and education for foodservice professionals and serving as a state leader on food safety and sanitation.