Featuring Punjabi cuisine, Raveen Arora’s Dhaba Restaurant and Indian Marketplace in Tempe takes guests on a cultural journey. Born in India, Arora came to America in 1981 and became a successful restaurateur and community leader.
This year, Aurora was chosen as one of the 2017 Faces of Diversity Award winners by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. You may view his acceptance speech here.
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is proud of the industry’s diversity. And we hope to inspire further inclusion through the annual Faces of Diversity Awards program. In partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice, the Faces of Diversity Awards program honors individuals in the restaurant industry who have realized the American Dream through hard work, determination and enterprise.
Founded in 2006, this program was created to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion by highlighting model companies that have excelled in this area, as well as to raise awareness about the important role restaurants play in providing a ladder of opportunity for millions of Americans to achieve the American Dream.
A panel of industry leaders selects the winners, who receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to be honored at an awards ceremony at the National Restaurant Association’s Public Affairs Conference Gala Awards Dinner. In addition to the ceremony, a $2,500 scholarship will be made in the name of each winner to an aspiring student pursuing a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
2017 Faces of Diversity Award Recipients
Farouk Diab
Franchisee, Wienerschnitzel
California
As an 18-year old immigrant from the Middle East, Diab had dreams of a better life. He came to the U.S. to study engineering but took a job as a Wienerschnitzel janitor to make ends meet. Forty-one years later, he is Wienerschnitzel’s leading franchisee with 21 stores.
Raveen Arora
Owner and President, The Dhaba India Plaza
Tempe, Arizona
Featuring Punjabi cuisine, Raveen Arora’s Dhaba restaurant and Indian marketplace takes guests on a cultural journey. Born in India, Arora came to America in 1981 and became a successful restaurateur and community leader.
Roshara Sanders
Chef de Cuisine, Compass Group Flik Hospitality
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Following her service in the U.S. Army, Roshara Sanders spent three years at the Culinary Institute of America. In 2015, she competed on the Food Network’s “Chopped,” where she won the $10,000 prize and donated all of her winnings to No Kid Hungry.