[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 32 (Monday, February 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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         RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE FOUNDATION

 Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, today I am honored to acknowledge 
the National Food and Beverage Foundation, an institute based in New 
Orleans and one that portrays the distinctive culture of Louisiana 
through its food and drink.
  Louisiana is known for many things: its bald cypress swamps, Mardi 
Gras, and its delicious food. Louisiana's cuisine is as unique as the 
people who make it. From beignets to etouffee and jambalaya to gumbo, 
food is one of the many characteristics that make Louisiana culture so 
remarkable. The New Orleans branch of the National Food and Beverage 
Foundation, or NFBF celebrates that culture through education and is 
home to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, praised by CNN as one of 
the top 11 food museums in the entire world.
  The National Food and Beverage Foundation is a tremendous example of 
a group of people using culinary practices to highlight Louisiana's 
culture while simultaneously enhancing the lives of the people around 
them. The NFBF has dedicated $5 million for a project to develop one of 
New Orleans' communities. The project is designed to reestablish 
sections of New Orleans as a hub of culinary commerce and aid the 
community in reaching their economic potential. NFBF is also dedicated 
to education, as evidenced by the John & Bonnie Hospitality and 
Culinary Library, and to providing free cooking classes for children. 
The library contains over 17,000 volumes and houses culinary and 
mixology literature from across the globe. The foundation's Culinary 
Entrepreneurship Program, a program that aids small businesses, 
restaurant startups, and product manufacturers, helps young businesses 
get off the ground. This program and programs like them are invaluable 
to small businesses throughout Louisiana.
  The National Food and Beverage Foundation celebrates and encourages 
Louisiana culture, but it also celebrates cultures through cuisine 
nationwide. The NFBF is rapidly expanding across the country; Pacific 
Food and Beverage is based in Los Angeles and celebrates the culture of 
food and drink of the Pacific coast and the American West. 
Specifically, Pacific Food and Beverage focuses on contributions made 
by immigrants who have shaped our Nation's cuisine. Knowing firsthand 
how important food is to our culture, the preservation of culinary 
practices and history throughout our country is a crucial endeavor.
  I want to thank the National Food and Beverage Foundation for all the 
work it has done with communities in my State and throughout the Nation 
to preserve and enhance the idea of culture through culinary means. 
From free children's cooking classes that teach the heritage and 
nutritional aspects of healthy food, to the Culinary Entrepreneurship 
Program, NFBF has made a tremendous contribution to Louisiana and the 
culture loved by so many. I am proud to have such a tremendous 
initiative in my State, one that explores something so embedded in the 
Louisiana culture and gives back to the community while doing so. I 
wish the National Food and Beverage Foundation nothing but successes 
now and in the future.

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