Former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Dick Parsons and Restaurateur and Executive Chef Alexander Smalls to be Honored

January 10, 2015

Former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Dick Parsons and Restaurateur and Executive Chef Alexander Smalls will be honored on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 at Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty at the Annual Benefit for Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary of transforming lives through the culinary arts.

Parsons and Smalls are partners in the Harlem restaurant Minton’s and the recently named Best New Restaurant in America by Esquire Magazine, The Cecil. Funds raised will support C-CAP’s programs providing scholarships, education, and career opportunities in the culinary arts to disadvantaged youth.

Attendees will move from table to table, sampling luxurious cuisine, presented by an all-star lineup of 42 of the city’s hottest star chefs, including Daniel Boulud of Daniel, Bryce Shuman of Betony, Michael White of Marea, and Dan Barber of Blue Hill, as well as C-CAP alumni Cesar Gutierrez of Lexington Brass and Veronica Rivera of Restaurant Marc Forgione.

Cooking alongside the chefs will be more than 60 New York City C-CAP high school students and alumni, eager to put their mark on the culinary world.

As this year’s honorees, Parsons and Smalls will receive the C-CAP Honors Award. Past recipients include: Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Lidia Bastianich, Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Danny Meyer & Michael Romano, Alfred Portale, Jacques Pepin, Michael White, Tony May, Michael McCarty, Michael Lomonaco, Drew Nieporent, Egidiana & Sirio Maccioni, Nina & Tim Zagat, and Saul Zabar & Stanley Zabar.

The co-chairs for this year’s event are Vincent Mai, Chairman and CEO of Cranemere, LLC and Alberto Cribiore, Vice Chairman of Citigroup. The Vice Chairs are Mark Weiss, and Susan and Richard Grausman, and the Chef Chair will be Marcus Samuelsson. CBS2 NY News Anchorman Maurice DuBois will be the Master of Ceremonies. The festivities will include a silent auction and a live auction run by Jamie Ritchie, CEO and President of Sotheby’s Wine.

“C-CAP is celebrating 25 years of transforming lives through the culinary arts and this benefit is critical in supporting our mission of providing scholarships, education, and career opportunities to at-risk youth interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry,” said Susan Robbins, C-CAP’s President. “This milestone anniversary is marked by C-CAP’s dedication and commitment to helping thousands of qualified students across the country, from culinary education in high schools to career placement assistance upon graduation. We are so proud to note that we have awarded over $43 million in scholarships and will continue to nurture the next generation of star chefs.”

“We are thrilled to honor Dick and Alexander for their remarkable achievements and contributions to the culinary industry and their commitment to culinary innovation,” said Richard Grausman, C-CAP’s Founder and Chairman. “I never dreamed that my idea in 1990 to teach French cooking in twelve New York City public schools would become what it is today. We now have thousands of C-CAP alumni across the globe demonstrating the true potential in all of us and impacting the lives of a whole new generation of chefs. I’m so proud of each and every one of our students – they continue to impress me every day.”

Parsons is the Sr. Advisor of Providence Equity and Chairman of the boards of the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Foundation of America. Smalls, a staple on the New York City hospitality scene, has a legendary history of catering to the palates of the city’s movers and shakers. Their restaurants, The Cecil and Minton’s, were inspired by Smalls’ travel and study of the African Diaspora, offering a global adventure in tastes and flavors as diverse and dynamic as the Harlem community in which they reside.

The C-CAP Benefit is open to the public. Tickets for general admission are $550 (limited availability); Tickets for VIP admission are $700 and $1,000. To purchase tickets, please visit http://ccapbenefit2015.bpt.me. For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, call 212-974-7111 or visit www.ccapinc.org.