FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lisa Tippett
Telephone: (212) 297-2114 or Fax: (212) 370-9047

Richard Payette of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel to Receive 's Extra Plate Humanitarian Award

NEW YORK (August 19, 2003) –The Distinguished Restaurants of North America () Extra Plate Humanitarian Award recognizes outstanding charitable contributions by a awardee to his or her community. This year’s 2003 Extra Plate honoree is Richard Payette, Executive Vice President – Montreal and General Manager of The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal. The charity he has selected to receive the $10,000 contribution from Philip Morris USA, ’s Extra Plate Humanitarian Award Sponsor, is Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® headquartered in Washington, DC.

The presentation of the award and the $10,000 contribution will be made by a Philip Morris USA representative at ’s New Recipient Luncheon and at the Grand Awards Gala on October 1, 2003 in Montreal. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, is the nation's preeminent culinary benefit supporting the fight to end hunger. Each spring, more than 10,000 community leaders come together in more than 65 cities across the United States and Canada to organize one-of-a-kind culinary events. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation events have raised more than $50 million which have supported more than 450 organizations working to end hunger and poverty in the United States and abroad. Mr. Payette is an avid advocate of Taste of the Nation® and this past spring, he hosted close to 70 restaurateurs, hoteliers and beverage companies at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel for fundraising for Montreal’s Taste of the Nation® event.

"It's a great honor to sponsor the Extra Plate Humanitarian Award for the eighth year in a row," said Danielle Burenstein, Senior Specialist, Philip Morris USA. "Since 1995, Philip Morris has been actively supporting this Award. It's important to highlight those in corporate America who work for the betterment of humanitarian efforts and we at Philip Morris are delighted to highlight this year's Extra Plate Award Winner, Richard Payette and his charity of choice, Share Our Strength."

To qualify for the award, the recipient must be a current awardee, must be among the awardees in the city hosting the annual conference and must have demonstrated a consistent and meaningful dedication to charitable causes in his or her community, whether to one particular charity or to a range of worthy causes. This dedication could include volunteerism, financial support, leadership roles, and fund-raising or community mobilization.

was established in 1990 to promote the fine dining industry and offers the only fine dining guarantee in all of North America. The Award is bestowed upon only the most distinguished restaurateurs. To become eligible for the Award, restaurants must first be in operation, under the same ownership, for a minimum of three years. An anonymous, independent 75-point inspection of the property is conducted to review the quality of the food, wine, service, physical property and décor. The Award is the only program of its kind, scrutinizing every aspect of the dining experience from the making of the reservation to the presentation of the check. In addition to the Awards for restaurants, also honors those in the industry who promote excellence through their volunteerism through its Extra Plate Humanitarian Award.

For further information about ’s industry awards, visit ’s website at www.dirona.com or contact Holly Koenig, Executive Director, (212) 297-2144 or , 355 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, New York 10017-6603.

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