The next Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse or Paula Dean will soon be serving up the hottest new culinary creation, but first they have to graduate! Macon, Ga.’s Polly’s Hospitality Institute, in conjunction with Goodwill Industries and the Anderson Conference Center, will celebrate its first graduating class on March 7, 2008 at 4 pm. This event will celebrate the graduates, who have completed a culinary training program unlike any other in Georgia. Polly’s Hospitality Institute (PHI) combines instruction in the culinary arts with extensive hands on experience in fine dining, catering and cafeteria venues. With this well-rounded skill set, graduates will set out to find jobs at premier restaurants in Macon, Atlanta and beyond.

A few quick points about the program:

• This program is Goodwill Industries’ first phase for what may be a national initiative. With the success of this program and these first graduates, Goodwills may launch similar programs in other markets.

• The graduation will be held on March 7, 2008 at 4 pm at the Anderson Conference Center in Macon, GA. Clay Long, Polly’s father and benefactor of the school, will speak.

• Edgar’s Hospitality, which contains PHI, also supports Edgar’s Bistro, a fine dining destination in Macon. Edgar’s boast 30 great menu items for one great cause.

All the graduates who have benefited from this program would appreciate the exposure as they begin their careers.And who knows, we may be watching them on the Food  Network one day!

Polly’s Hospitality Institute (PHI) — the only comprehensive culinary program in Middle Georgia — under the direction of Chef Jean Yves Vendeville, CEC, CEPC proudly announces the graduation of the Inaugural Class on March 7, 2008 at 4:00pm. The graduation ceremony will be held at the Anderson Conference Center at 5171 Eisenhower Parkway.

Polly Long Denton, after whom the school is named, trained at Maxim’s in Paris, France. A Macon resident and member of Goodwill’s Hospitality Advisory Council, Polly had an avid passion for cooking, entertaining, and for seeing people who are disadvantaged succeed in the workplace. Polly passed away in June of 2003, and her love and passion provide inspiration to Goodwill’s hospitality enterprises.

PHI is the training component of Goodwill’s Hospitality Division, which also includes Edgar’s Bistro and Edgar’s Catering at the Anderson Conference Center. PHI prepares students to enter the worldwide hospitality industry with skills and competencies to achieve personal and professional success. Each of the diverse units of the program and specific curricula provide students with a state of the art, quality education as a foundation for becoming tomorrow’s leaders in the hospitality, culinary arts and tourism industry. Through the combination of a strong academic curriculum and practical hands-on experience, PHI will be recognized as the regional leader in all aspects of hospitality training.

The Inaugural Class of PHI is comprised of seven students from Middle Georgia. The students recently received their Green Scarf on stage during the Foodies Awards. Graduating students have already accepted externship positions with Molly’s Restaurant, Marco Ristorante Italiano, Natalia’s, Shamrock, Edgar’s Bistro and as a Teaching Assistant for Polly’s Hospitality Institute.

GIMG’s mission is to build lives, families, and communities — one job at a time. Over the past five years, your local Goodwill has facilitated the placement of 4,174 people into jobs creating more than $93 million in new payroll purchasing power.