New York State Restaurant Association Cooking Hot Treats Sun. Mon. & Tues. At Show in Manhattan

ALBANY, NY (02/24/2011)(readMedia)-- -Highlighting three days of action at its International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York, will be a fresh new look and activities that the 75-year-old New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) says is part of its invigorated approach to serving the restaurant and foodservice industry.

The International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York, which is owned by NYSRA, opens Sunday, February 27 at the Jacob K. Javits Center and will run for three days.

Beginning the first day of the Show, on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m., NYSRA opens the doors to its new Solutions Center where show goers can drop by the NYSRA booth and chat with some of New York's leading trendsetters on topics ranging from deploying social media and attracting new customers, to how chefs can get cast in TV shows and motion pictures. The full lineup of times, topics and experts includes:

Sunday 11:00 – Connecting Artisans with Food Activists, Dorothy Williams-Neagle, Co-founder of Good Food Jobs

Sunday 1:00 – How to Get Cast on a TV Food Show, Beth Schiff, Casting Director / Talent Coordinator on Culinary Projects

Sunday 3:00 – Pocketing Profits Through Cost Controls, Jason Wallace, President and CEO Hospitality Concepts Consulting

Monday 11:00--Staff Training for Better Performance, Jeremy Merrin, Founder & President of Havana Central Restaurants

Monday 1:00 --Get a Move On: Using Social Media to Drive Customers, Colleen Holmes, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Wheatfields Restaurants

Tuesday 11:00 – H.R. Compliance in the Era of Heavy Government Regulation, Luisa Marciano, Corporate Director of Human Resources, Abigail Kirsch Catering Relationships

Tuesday 1:00 – Recession Defying Design in the Nightlife and Hotel Sector, Leah Mendelson, Managing Director, ICRAVE Design.

Also Monday, NYSRA will be hosting a 2:30 p.m. press conference from the floor of the Javits Center to explain its new look and new presence. Show goers will get the first look at NYSRA's fresh new logo across Show signage.

Immediately following this press conference on Monday afternoon, NYSRA will award an IPad to one lucky person who participated in the Show's "Comment Wall" project. Participants answer the question, "What is your greatest challenge in 2011" by posting their messages onto a ten-foot wall NYSRA has constructed in the center of its booth. This real-life Facebook page of sorts is intended to be a straw poll testing the priorities of one of the world's great culinary communities where it comes together once a year. NYSRA will be sharing the results of this project once the data has been compiled.

Monday evening everyone gets dressed up and heads to the hot new venue SD26 (named top new restaurant in New York 2010 by Esquire Magazine) where the TY Awards benefiting the Association's Educational Foundation and ProStart Program for kids will go into full swing. Sylvia Woods of Sylvia's Restaurant, McCormick for Chefs, and Educational Foundation legend Harold Qualters are being honored at the always trendy event. Tickets are $150. Information at (914) 761-7111.

To find out more about NYSRA please visit www.nysra.org and plan to stop by the NYSRA booth #1445 on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

For more information about the Show, please visit: www.internationalrestaurantny.com

Contact: Rick Sampson, NYSRA,

518.452.4222, info@nysra.com

The New York State Restaurant Association, founded in 1935, is the leading business association for the restaurant and hospitality industry in New York State. Comprised of more than 56,000 restaurants, bars, clubs, New York restaurants represent more than 628,000 employees and sales of approximately $27 billion - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the New York State Restaurant Association and New York State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, NYSRA and its chapters work to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing hospitality industry. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.nysra.org/.