Grace 2009 Distinguished Service Award
Winner: Patrick Cuccaro, general manager of Affairs to Remember Caterers
Combine a theater background, an advertising career and an ever-present love for food, and you have a recipe for Patrick Cuccaro’s career path. With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, Cuccaro now helps to set the stage at Affairs to Remember as its General Manager.
“It has been my privilege to create a business environment that places respect and innovation at the top of its priority list,” says Cuccaro, who joined Affairs to Remember in 1990. “Crafting a company driven by strong core values was a very big challenge, but it also represents my greatest sense of accomplishment.”
Cuccaro not only oversees the work of the company’s catering consultants, but he also manages Affairs to Remember’s internal culinary research and development, human resources, community and public relations and marketing.
Cuccaro is also a founding member and President Emeritus of the Off- Premises Caterers’ Coalition of Georgia. He serves on the GRA’s board of directors, where he cochairs the Off-Premises Caterers Roundtable.
His latest project is a three-day training course, catering boot camp, developed for the GRA to help restaurateurs who are cultivating catering as a secondary revenue source. He also helms the nonprofit initiative Legacy 2×10, which helps organizations afford luxury fundraising services through in-kind donations of catering and event services. Since the program’s inception in 2007, they’ve already donated $1 million in in-kind services to charitable organizations.
“Those who know me understand that contributing to others gives me great pleasure,” Cuccaro says. “To be nominated for doing something that I do out of sheer force of nature is doubly gratifying.”
What the restaurant industry means to Georgia: “As recently as 25 years ago, Georgians yawned when the Ritz Carlton brought a world-renowned chef to open its new Dining Room. Today, celebrity chefs abound and consider Atlanta to be fertile territory, and some of our best homegrown chefs from all over the state are receiving national awards and attention. Georgia’s foodservice industry holds the promise of long-term, rewarding careers for those professionals who chose to master the skills required,” he says.
Major trends for 2010: “Many families have begun to place a higher value on at-home dining. While some restaurateurs might find this an alarming trend, others see it as an opportunity to provide inhome meal replacements and catering. Indeed, Off-Premises Catering will continue to be a revenue powerhouse when it comes to enhancing the bottom line,” says Cuccaro.
Advice to those just starting out: “Try to put yourself in the presence of the best possible talent. Look for the best company, not the best instant deal. At Affairs to Remember, you start at the bottom, even if you have proven industry-specific experience, and you work for the rewards. It takes time, at least three years, just to get the lay of the land. If you want a rewarding career, you must simply look for the best possible environment,” he notes.
Distinguished Service Award Finalists
- Kat Cole, Vice President of Training and Development, Hooters of America, Inc.
- Bobby Donland JR., Executive Managing Partner/Owner of Donland and Geenbaum’s New York Prime-A Steakhouse
