by J. Charles Grieco for the Ontario Hostelry Institute, a ‘Certified Good Food Fighter‘

Our goal: now in its sixth year, the “Top 30 UNDER 30” initiative is designed to create a vehicle that will recognize the hospitality industries ‘top young performers’. This recognition has gone a long way to help to create and inspire a future generation of hospitality leaders. This recognition program will help to make the difference that ensures the future of the industry and career-long commitment to excellence.

Criteria: outstanding men and women who are actively engaged in all sectors of the hospitality industry and who will be under 30 years of age as of December 30th, 2010.

The Challenge: in Ontario, the present demand for talented hospitality managers, chefs and staff, with future potential, continues to exceed supply.

Why? as an industry, we have tended to traditionally view our human capital as an expendable resource. Increasingly, because of out-dated, low-return compensation models and onerous, challenging working conditions, talented young people too often do not view our industry as a viable long-term career option. And the non-hospitality world, recognizing the transferable band of highly regarded skills that hospitality professionals possess, have begun to aggressively target our most promising workers for recruitment elsewhere.

The “Top 30 UNDER 30” program recognizes, on an annual basis, 30 exceptional hospitality industry performers from Ontario who are all under the age of 30

Nominees will be drawn from a cross section of the industry (including culinary, the hotels, and will include chain restaurants, one-offs/entrepreneurs, tourism related businesses and suppliers (i.e. wine and more diverse hospitality endeavours). We include a small number of front-line (service) employees within this very broadly based cross section of the entire industry as well. Nominees must be actively working in Ontario hospitality industry for the past 2 years and at the time of nomination.’

The Logistics: we have formed a Committee, chaired by J. Charles Grieco of The Chair and President of the Ontario Hostelry Institute and co-chaired by Bruce McAdams, from the University of Guelph and Jasmine Baker of the Oliver-Bonacini Group. The committee members will include:

  • J. Chares Grieco (Chair and President – The Ontario Hostelry Institute)
  • Bruce McAdams (Co-Chair Top 30 under 30, University of Guelph))
  • Jasmine Baker (C0-Chair – Oliver Bonacini Group)
  • Peter Bodnar-Rod (13streetwinery)
  • Garry Hallam (Conestoga College)
  • David Martin PhD Director-Ted Rogers Ryerson School of Hospitality
  • Amanda Holmes Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
  • Gillian Lockett Starwood Hotels & Resorts
  • Amy Chung Oliver Bonacini Group
  • Lars Friedriszik Delta Chelsea Hotel
  • Lisa Lama The Globe and Mail
  • Darcy MacDonnell The Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts
  • Afrim Pristine The Cheese Boutique
  • Sara D’Amato Sommelier

Nomination Forms will be found on the OHI web-site: www.theohi.ca after September 15th, each year. The form can be both downloaded, completed and faxed to the OHI, or it can be completed on-line and e-mailed to the OHI.

The nominations period will be from September 15th through December 15TH, 2010.

Nominees will hear back by early January 2011 with information that will permit them to complete applications and provide any necessary documentation. This application and portfolio package must be returned to the Ontario Hostelry Institute Office located at 300 Adelaide St., East – Suite # 339, TORONTO, ON M5A 1N1 – Not later than January 30th, 2011

Those 30 successful nominees under 30 will be honored at a special reception, and at a time prior the annual GOLD AWARDS DINNER of the ONTARIO HOSTELRY INSTITUTE, which will be held this year at the Four Seasons Hotel on April 14TH, 2011 for all those selected, the media and their sponsor.

J. Charles Grieco
President and Chair
The Ontario Hostelry Institute
416 414-4690
www.theohi.ca