Labor Day was originally proposed as a “national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

It has been observed for over 125 years. Some records show that in 1882 the idea of labor day was proposed by Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, he was also the co founder of the American Federation of Labor. But many believe Matthew Maguire, a machinist, founded the holiday.

Either way, the holiday was proposed in 1882, was first observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City and again on September 5, 1883.  In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday. By 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country. By 1894 Congress passed an act naming the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The rest is, as they say, “history”, but enough of that, let’s move on to what labor day means today.

DAY OFF!! Everyone loves a good day off of work, although what it is filled with varies. Some families take a last minute vacation, some spend the day on a nearby lake, some have cookouts for their family and friends, some clean the house while others catch up on homework. Whether you are doing something fun or something necessary, the day off is well-deserved.

End of Summer. These ideas associated with Labor Day are not always good. The end of summer means returning to school, the community pools are closing, outdoor eating areas are getting colder, grills and outdoor furniture needs to be stored away and winter is just around the corner.

Last minute summer activities!! These are always fun, whether you are visiting an amusement park, lake, family, having a cookout or just relaxing, you will be enjoying some last minute summer weather and activities.

And who could forget…SALES!  Central Restaurant Products Last Chance to Save sale will be ending September 6. Hurry and stock up on your kitchen basics and necessities.

Visit our Facebook page and let us know what you will be doing this Labor Day Weekend.

This kind of hunger has lifelong consequences including, weaker immune systems, ear infections, behavioral difficulties, impaired performance in school, more hospitalizations and among others.

YOU can help!

The third annual Great American Dine-Out is September 19-25, will you be involved?

Some of you may be asking; What is the Great American Dine-Out? Here is your answer.

The Great American Dine-Out is a one week event across the country in which restaurants donate funds to the Great American Dine-Out. The funds are then granted to “anti-hunger organizations that demonstrate effective work to help end childhood hunger.”

Here are a few things this money goes towards to help end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

• Enroll more eligible kids in school breakfast, after-school snacks and meals and their families in SNAP
• Bring community gardens and farmers markets to low-income neighborhoods
• Teach at-risk families how to plan, shop for, and prepare healthy, low-cost meals at home
• Increase awareness and understanding of childhood hunger and solutions to it

These are just a few of the things being done with the money raised by this event. Last year in Maryland, participation in school breakfast was increased by 7% and over 20% of eligible sites began participating in Afterschool Suppers.

These things are made possible thanks to restaurants such as

Buffalo Wild Wings

Joes Crab Shack

Corner Bakery Cafe

McAlister’s Deli

People are making a difference, will you be involved?

For more information on becoming a participating restaurant, donating, or learning more about childhood hunger in America visit here.

Games and prizes were available for employees and children enjoyed a bounce house from Party Time Rental and gift bags. Despite the incredibly hot and humid weather, the turnout was normal.

“About 124,” Kerrie Lafky, HR director, said. “Same as years past.”

The picnic began with bingo followed by the Cornhole tournament at 12 p.m. First place winners were Harold Lloyd, maintenance, and Mike Mayberry, warehouse associate. Steve Myers, product consultant, and his son Alex took second place.

Lunch was served at 1 p.m by Jugs Catering.  The menu consisted of pulled pork, fried chicken, green beans, au gratin potatoes, fried biscuits with apple butter, fresh fruit salad, cookies, lemonade and soda.

The heat played a huge role in the day’s festivities.

“Weather was very hot. Too hot. Africa hot,” Myers described. However to beat the heat, he and other employees were able to go under shelter, drink water and use mini fans provided by Central. “Thanks for the mini fans, they helped some.”

Despite the heat, employees and their families enjoyed the event.

“It was fun to talk to other employees in a less formal setting and meet the people that are important in their lives.” Tim Huggins, freight analyst, said.

A generous amount of door prizes were given. The door prizes were: (3) $25 gas cards, Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD waterproof pocket video camera, iPod nano 8 (8 GB), iPod shuffle (4 GB), Canon PIXMA MX340 Wireless Office All-in-One Printer as well as many restaurant gift cards and other miscellaneous items.

IT Director, Joe Haigerty, said he thought most everyone was able to win something.

A date for next year’s company picnic has not yet been set.

Some of the restaurants that participate are:

• 14 West
• 120 West Market Fresh Grill
• Agio
• Bella Vita
• Circle City Bar & Grill
• Eagle’s Nest
• Fogo de Chäo Churrascari
• Morton’s The Steakhouse
• Skyline Club
• Slippery Noodle

All of these restaurants have provided menus and discounts that are either $30 per person or $30 for 2 people.

Only 3 days left so don’t miss out! If you can’t make it this summer, don’t worry, the opportunity will arise again in the winter. The dates have not been determined yet but continue to check back with us or join the Devour Downtown email list for updates.

You can also follow them on:

Just follow these steps:

1. Visit the A&W Facebook Page.
2. Click on the “like” button.
3. Print off your digital coupon.
4. Visit any participating A&W restaurant and redeem for you FREE Root Beer Float, while supplies last.

How simple is that? And the best part, the purchase can be a whole meal or simply the 100 percent all-natural Wisconsin white cheddar cheese curds.

The A&W original Root Beer Float is made with A&W draft Root Beer and A&W soft serve in an icy cold mug. Sounds refreshing on a hot day.

A&W was founded in 1919 and to this day the ingredients remain a secret. The A&W Root Beer is available in diet and is always caffeine free.

So head over to the A&W facebook page and download your free coupon. Have everyone in your family “like” it and take them out to dinner for National Root Beer Float Day. Enjoy!

In the Northwest, where the weather is ranging from the high 60°F mark to the low 80°F mark, try a 2008 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay.

In the midwest or Northeast, where temperatures are reaching 80°F to 100°F try a 2008 Weingut Fred Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner ($14) or a 2009 Clifford Bay Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($10).

In the West, where temperatures are nearing or surpassing the 100° mark try a 2009 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde ($10). And for those REALLY hot in the Southwest, where temperatures are 110°F and above, skip the wine and have a cold beer. Try Stella Artois ($10 for a 6-pack). Need help keeping those drinks cold or keeping your wine fresh. Try these products. 

Keep your wine fresh by extracting the air from the bottle with this pump.

Store your wine horizontally without the fear of spillage with this wine stopper.

Keep your wine cold with this polycarbonate wine bucket.

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it would double its donation to The Lunch Box if its new goal of 1 million junk e-mails is reached by August.

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s “No Junk” campaign encouraged Americans to forward their junk e-mails to nojunk@chipotlejunk.com.  The campaign’s original donation was $50,000, because of the campaign’s success Chipotle has increased the possible donation to $100,000 if its new goal was reached by August.

The “No Junk” campaign was set up so that each forwarded piece of junk e-mail will help provide nutritious cafeteria meals for school children around the country through the partnership with The Lunch Box.  For every 100,000 junk e-mails Chipotle receives, the company donates $10,000 to The Lunch Box.  This will help provide approximately 32 million school children at 100,000 schools nationwide access to 100 school-tested, junk-free recipes created by Chef Ann Cooper, The Renegade Lunch Lady.

This campaign was launched on June 25 and its goal of 1,000,000 junk emails has been reached, which raised its maximum contribution to The Lunch Box of $100,000.

Congratulations to Chipotle and The Lunch Box on reaching your goal and donating healthy meals to children across the country.

Customers loved our Central Exclusive trays, especially the Blue!

Not only did customers love the trays but they also complimented Central’s service levels, quick shipping and competitive pricing.

As far as attendance, there seemed to be less people at the conference this year but it was still fairly crowded.

The vendors had very few new products for this conference but most of them said they would be releasing new items during NAFEM. We will keep you posted on this.

Thanks to all who came out to visit the booth and support the School Nutrition Association.