ORLANDO (April 9, 2008) – Harris Rosen wears a number of hats in the Central Florida community. President & COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Generous philanthropist. Civic-minded community leader. And now, culinary entrepreneur and creator of the Perfect Pizza.
Rosen’s Perfect Pizza is a low-fat, low-sodium pizza with a honey whole-wheat crust and zero grams of trans fat. After receiving rave reviews for its overall taste and delicious crust during 10 weeks of focus group testing with youth and adults in various schools and in the private sector, the Perfect Pizza will undergo an even more arduous test this week as 200 Orange County Public School (OCPS) students will sample the healthy alternative during the OCPS Annual Food Show held Thursday, April 9th at Rosen Shingle Creek hotel.
While it may seem surprising for a hotelier to branch into food development, for Rosen, the concept is a marriage of his many passions. A weekend cooking enthusiast as well as an avid fitness buff and Master swimmer, Harris Rosen has long shared his enthusiasm for wellness with his associates. Rosen Hotels & Resorts has been nationally recognized for its innovative, trend-setting associate wellness and preventative care programs as well as the company’s low-cost insurance and on-site, full-service medical clinic. His commitment to education and next-level hospitality training not only led him to donate the land and funds to build UCF’s Rosen School of Hospitality Management, but he was also recently named a member of the "Culinary Class of 2008" by the Orlando Sentinel for his contributions to the college’s culinary school as well as his commitment to providing quality cuisine in his hotel restaurants, including the AAA Four Diamond A Land Remembered and AAA Four Diamond Cala Bella, both at Rosen Shingle Creek.
Additionally, Rosen’s dedication to providing exceptional guest service and anticipating hospitality trends also aligns with his interest in offering healthful food options. But perhaps most importantly, Rosen’s passion for empowering and educating youth, through programs like the Tangelo Park Pilot Program, which he created nearly 15 years ago to provide free preschool and higher education opportunities for underprivileged youth in the Tangelo Park neighborhood of Orlando, also fueled his fire to improve nutrition among young people.
In introducing the Perfect Pizza to public schools, Rosen hopes to supplement students’ low-fat, low-sodium meal options and help them establish good eating habits to last into adulthood.
“Children’s nutrition plays such an important role in their overall development, both physically and mentally, so having the right foods in place at school, where some children eat two of their three meals of the day, is so crucial,” said Rosen. “We hope that the Perfect Pizza will be just the first of many more smart options available in schools to set kids on the right path to lifelong health and wellness.”
Although Rosen hopes to eventually launch an entire line of Perfect Foods to consumers via a multitude of distribution channels, including grocery stores, he won’t personally see a penny of the profits. The philanthropist will donate all profits from Perfect Pizza sales to the Rosen Scholarship Foundation, which provides college scholarships to deserving Orange County students.
For more information, visit www.rosenhotels.com or call 866-33-ROSEN.