Dallas, Texas (April 26, 2005) – Following a successful inaugural event in February 2005, Savor Dallas has awarded gifts of funds raised to the Arts Magnet Building Campaign for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Education and Scholarship Fund, and the North Texas Food Bank. A core group of Savor Dallas organizers and sponsors, including Phillip Jones of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Vicki Briley-White and Jim White of Savor Dallas, Stephen Butt of Central Market and Carmen Castorina of Rancho Zabaco, gathered in downtown Dallas on Thursday April 21, 2005 to present a check for $25,000 to the beneficiaries of the first annual Savor Dallas event, which included a $5,000 product donation from Central Market to the North Texas Food Bank. Representatives from the Arts Magnet Building Campaign for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Education and Scholarship Fund, and the North Texas Food Bank were there to accept the gifts.

Jan Pruitt, Executive Director of North Texas Food Bank noted, “We are very pleased and thankful to Savor Dallas. Each dollar received purchases the equivalent of six meals to help our hunger fighting initiatives.”

Stephen Butt, Senior Vice President of the Central Market/H.E.B, presenting sponsor for Savor Dallas, said “We are proud of the success of the first Savor Dallas and of the fact that the community’s support of the event is making these gifts possible to very worthy causes.”

Savor Dallas founders Vicki Briley-White and Jim White also announced that February 16 through 18, 2006, would be the date for the 2nd annual celebration of wine, food, spirits and the arts, with White adding, “We can’t wait to present a bigger and better event next year and continue to showcase Dallas’ arts and chefs.”

The inaugural Savor Dallas, February 18-20, 2005, welcomed nearly 4,000 attendees from 13 states and the surrounding area to events in the Dallas Arts District, the Latino Cultural Center, 21 restaurants, the Wyndham Anatole and the Fairmont Dallas. Over 100 wines and spirits were represented in tasting events throughout the weekend. 43 chefs participated in the International Grand Tasting. Tyler Florence from the Food Network, PBS’s Zarela Martinez and local stars Dean Fearing, Stephan Pyles and Kent Rathbun staged cooking demos. Nationally recognized wine and spirits educators, including Steve Olson, Josh Wesson, Leslie Sbrocco and Dale DeGroff, presented tasting seminars.

Savor Dallas 2006 will again work closely with the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau to encourage people to come and experience the best Dallas has to offer. "Savor Dallas celebrates the qualities that make Dallas unique. It is a true reflection of Dallas' extraordinary culinary, visual and performing arts. Savor Dallas is slated for growth each year, becoming a signature event that will be known regionally, nationally and internationally," said Phillip Jones, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO.

About Savor Dallas Savor Dallas, an international experience of wine, food, spirits and the arts, took place Feb. 18-20 at several high-profile locations, including some of the city’s finest restaurants, and at venues in the Dallas Arts District. Presented by Central Market along with Rancho Zabaco, Mirassou and Da Vinci Wines, Savor Dallas is a full wine and food weekend with tasting seminars and celebrity chef demonstrations. The International Grand Tasting featured more than 100 wines and Dallas' top chefs serving signature dishes from 7 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Wyndham Anatole hotel. Savor Dallas benefited the North Texas Food Bank, Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Education Fund and the Arts Magnet Building Campaign for Booker T. Washington High School.