Show 644, September 13, 2025: Lisa Fontanesi, Los Angeles Director, Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP)

Lisa Fontanesi of Culinary Careers Program at Manhattan Beach Food and Wine

“The Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP), the charitable beneficiary of Manhattan Beach Food & Wine, is a national workforce development nonprofit dedicated to training and supporting the next generation of food and hospitality leaders. They provide culinary arts education, job skills, apprenticeships, scholarships, and career opportunities to under-resourced high school students and adults.”

C•CAP students are working in each restaurant booth this evening at Manhattan Beach Food & Wine actively assisting the executive chefs from the participating restaurants. They actually get “billing” at each restaurant station.

C•CAP’s long-time Los Angeles Director, Lisa Fontanesi, joins us.

Show 122, May 16, 2015: Marc Hernandez, Partner, Brent’s Delicatessen & Restaurant Continues…

Marc HernandezTen charities have been selected by Brent’s Deli to be part of the award-winning restaurant’s first-ever Community Appreciation Day taking place on Wednesday, May 20 at both Brent’s Deli in Northridge and Brent’s Deli in Westlake Village. The restaurant will donate 20-percent of its sales earned from that day to an array of public-nominated charities.

“We wanted our guests and the general public to tell us what charities serving the San Fernando and Conejo Valleys should be part of Community Appreciation Day,” said Marc Hernandez, one of Brent’s Deli’s partners and the son-in-law of Brent’s founder Ron Peskin. “The result was an overwhelming response and a better understanding of all the great work being done by non-profit groups right here in our own backyard.”

The organizations nominated offer a breadth of services, from after school programs for in-need children and sending care packages overseas to our troops to advocating for wildlife and domestic pets, cancer research, education, food rescue and blindness.