• More excited and knowledgeable about food preparation, kitchen safety, and proper nutrition.
• Increasingly comfortable in using food as a vehicle and catalyst to participate more fully in their community and to seek out new opportunities.
• Better prepared to enter competitive employment in food service and related industries.

"The contest energized our organization. Administration, day habilitation staff, and the persons served were involved and excited by the opportunity and the challenge. This created a spark that will have carryover well beyond the contest." - Kate Jesko, Director of Residential Services

Special Chefs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, spearheaded by individuals with a long tenure in both business and social service arenas.

With permission, contributors are featured at the Special Chefs Web site and are prominently highlighted at cooking competitions. Sponsorship is considered to be an annual commitment.

Special Chefs Five Star Contributors

The Dominick's Children's Foundation
www.dominicks.com
The Dominick's Children's Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities and neighborhoods we serve.  Our Foundation's efforts reflect our strong sense of responsibility at the local level, with particular focus on education, nutrition, well-being, culture and recreation enrichment programs for children and their families. We strive to work in partnership with local organizations that focus on addressing today's challenges while building a solid base for the future.

The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust

Solo Cup Company
www.solocup.com
Solo Cup Company is a preeminent company with foodservice, consumer and international divisions. From printed coffee cups at your neighborhood cafe to the number one cup on your local retailers' shelves, Solo has been a leader in disposable products for several decades. Throughout, Solo has been an advocate for a safe environment with its pioneering recycling programs and is a generous contributor to meaningful causes for hundreds of our nation's communities.

Northern Trust
www.northerntrust.com
Northern Trust is a highly focused and successful business delivering trust, investment, and banking services to individuals, corporations and institutions within select markets. Northern Trust focuses on the personal financial services market and the corporate and institutional services market. Northern Trust's investment management organization ranks among the twenty largest U.S. money managers.

Because Chicago's growth and prosperity have made the Northern Trust's own success possible, Northern Trust feels a special responsibility to help maintain and improve the quality of life for all those who live and work in the area. Northern Trust gives back to the community through the Charitable Trust & Corporate Contributions Program. The Northern Trust giving program reflects a broad commitment to the community and a determination to maintain a reputation based on generous caring about people.

Mainstay, Inc. www.emainstay.com
Mainstay, Inc. is a business dedicated to promoting new experiences and personal growth for individuals with developmental disabilities. We provide products and services to complement and supplement programmatic efforts which enhance consumers' opportunities and choices. Our Monthly Celebration and Windows to the Week Memberships are predicated upon person-centered planning and are utilized in a wide variety of day services and residential settings. Information is additionally available, at no charge, to social service providers online at the Mainstay, Inc. Web site.

Wooster Inc.
Jack Wooster has been the principal of an advertising and creative design firm for 25 years. He has been the owner of a full-service advertising agency but now runs a creative design firm. The firm's concentration in recent years has been product design, development of corporate identities for new products and new businesses. An area of strength is the sporting goods category.

Astek
www.astekweb.com
Astek is an interactive marketing firm that specializes in website design and other marketing technologies including email marketing, viral marketing, podcasts and web cameras.

ElCyd Memorial Foundation
www.elcyd.org
The family of Cyd Friedman established the ElCyd Memorial Foundation in February 1999 as an ongoing memorial to the strong spirit and inspiration of their wife, mother and grandmother. Cyd died on February 24, 1999 after a 7-month battle with Leukemia.

The ElCyd Foundation raises money for Leukemia-related causes - specifically programs and research focusing on umbilical cord transplants and special programs for children with Leukemia. Cyd would have embraced anyone with the courage to beat the odds and push forward in the face of fear and failure, as she did. In this same spirit, ElCyd is dedicated to funding the fight for a cure for Leukemia, to give children and others, the hope that they need to fight the good fight.

And More Inspiration . . .
The Mark and Karen Koulogeorge Charitable Fund
Sheri and Stuart Levine
Lucy and Jeff Colman
Patty and Mark Damisch
Kristie and Jim Stoynoff
Roberts Family Foundation
Anita and Tom Croghan
Chris and Bob Gould
Andrew Vail
Barbour Family Foundation
The Tinberg Foundation
Julie and Bob Montgomery
Kay and Garry Benson
Cindy and Bill Killian
Susi and David Shelton
Margaret and Charles Benvenuto
Marilyn and Ramon Garcia
Cynthia and John Abendshien
Mary Kay and John Burke
Beth and John Skalla
Will and Betty McLean
Allison and Marshall Ash
Gail and Ken Bley
Lauren and Bill Bloomer
Pam and Howard Conant
Paula and Jeff Danoff
Martha Egan
Cindy and Bob Forbes
Mary and John Ford
Nancy and Wade Judge
Barbara and John Kerastas
Jeanne and Bob Morette
Lisa and David Peterson
Mary Beth and Jeff Schmidt
Dian and Bill Taylor
Peggy and Jim Vail III
Jane and Jim Carroll
Susan and Sam Weiser
Lisa and Randy White
Total Insurance Services, Inc.
Harriet and John Damisch
Paula Grasso
Dora and John Aalbregtse
Lynn and Tom Eggers
Lucy and Phil Hoza
Patti and Kent VanHoogstraat
Betty and John Ames
Marijo and Bob Erzinger
David Grossberg
Patti and Tom Snickenberger
Karin and Mounif El-Youssef
Dania and Patrick Leemputte

In Recognition of Special Inspiration
Special Chefs recognizes with gratitude the generous donations of time, products, and services made by:

		Jack Wooster for his outstanding design and marketing services.
		Charlie Mayer for his show stopping photography as portrayed on the Home page and in the Special Chefs brochure.
		Jamie Vail for his unfailing computer expertise, captivating photography, and professional video editing as seen on many pages of this Web site.
		Pam Deutsch for her lively, beautiful music (Feelin' Fine, from her CD entitled Take Me Away) accompanying the video clip on the Contest Winners page. For more information about Pam Deutsch and her music, go to: www.deutschmusic.com
		Patricia Damisch and Joel Birnbaum for meaningful insights, energetic support, and important guidance.

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