FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Embassy
May 6, 2005

As a concrete example of the American commitment to help Cypriots create opportunities for a brighter tomorrow, the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), in cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, has organized a seminar on “Menu Management for Profitability.” This activity is part of VEGA’s ongoing program in Cyprus, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Cyprus Partnership for Economic Growth (CYPEG), and is being implemented by the International Executive Service Corps (IESC).

On Tuesday, 10 May 2005, the workshop discussion will be held in the conference room of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce from 9am to 12pm. Some of the topics will include: menu analysis, recipe and costing cards, menu pricing, and promotional strategies. The main goal of the discussion is to help operators become more profitable.

The discussion will be led by David Ivey-Soto, a Certified Executive Chef with over twenty years of experience in all aspects of restaurant operations. With IESC, Mr. Ivey-Soto has completed projects in the West Indies, Guyana, and Lithuania. He has worked as executive chef and maitre d’/sommelier at several well-known restaurants in the Washington, DC area, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands as well as a private chef to Ethel Kennedy. Mr. Ivey-Soto is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an active member of the American Culinary Federation. Currently, Mr. Ivey-Soto is the Managing General Partner of Chef David Industries/Food Service Solutions.

The CyPEG will continue to augment existing U.S.-funded bi-communal programs and facilitate reunification of the island by supporting economic growth in the Turkish Cypriot community in ways that will (1) enable the Turkish Cypriot economy to shoulder its share of the economic costs of a settlement; (2) contribute to Turkish Cypriot-Greek Cypriot economic interaction; and (3) advance the adoption and implementation of European Union and international standards and practices across the island. It is also meant to address Greek Cypriot concerns that a settlement will be disproportionately and prohibitively expensive for the Greek Cypriot side—concerns that the U.S. government takes very seriously.

The program’s aim is to work with Cypriots to make opportunities for a brighter tomorrow.

The U.S. Government will continue to program its foreign assistance in a transparent manner and will remain sensitive to the complex issues involved.

[Türkçe]