Greater Columbia Restaurant Association inducts three restaurateurs into Hall of Fame
By Mimi M. Maddock

Dianne Light of Dianne's on Devine, Dianne's East, and DiPrato's Delicatessen and Market

The Greater Columbia Restaurant Association held its Annual Benefit Dinner Monday, September 15, 2008, at Embassy Suites Hotel. As part of the program three restaurateurs were given Lifetime Achievement Awards by being inducted into the 2008 Columbia Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. They were Carroll Seawell of Seawell's Banquet and Reception Center on Rosewood Drive; Dianne Light of Dianne's on Devine, DiPrato's Delicatessen and Market, and Dianne's East; and Duncan Crowe of Lexington Arms in downtown Lexington. Three students were each given a $2,000 scholarship in an award recipient's name. The Carroll Seawell Scholarship was presented to Julia Flannery, the Dianne Light Scholarship to Kaylee Crane, and the Duncan Crowe Scholarship to Sarah Gisriel.

Culinary delights for the reception were created by the Columbia area High School ProStart Program, a nationally certified school- - to- career program. Because of this ProStart there are 2,400 juniors and seniors in 52 high schools learning about careers in the restaurant industry. Schools who participated in the dinner were Blythewood High School, instructor William Turner; Heyward Career and Technology Center, instructor Dwaine Collier; and Lower Richland High School, instructor Bernardine Cobb. SYSCO provided the meat for each of the high schools.The dinner featured the culinary delights of the Culinary and Wine Institute at USC. U.S. Foodservice provided the veal and scallops for the dinner.

The Columbia Restaurant Association is a chapter of the Hospitality Association of S.C. and the National Restaurant Association. It is a membership trade association that offers services to its members and supplies in the restaurant, hotel, and hospitality industry. Its focus is protecting, promoting, and educating the hospitality industry in S.C.