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MCHA opens its 50th year with a community celebration 

January 28, 2025

Culinary surprises, entertainment and awards on tap for March 2025 hospitality gala

MONTEREY, Calif., Jan. 15, 2025 – Fifty years after local hotel and restaurant professionals first teamed up to support tourism businesses, the Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) will commemorate its golden anniversary in 2025. 

The public is invited to kick off the celebration on March 14, during 50th Anniversary - A Legacy of Hospitality, MCHA's annual awards gala. The event raises funds for advocacy, education and employee recognition programs serving hospitality professionals. It also showcases the people who strengthen the community through tourism. 

"Hospitality is embedded in our community. We're proud to celebrate the industry and people who've helped it thrive over the past fifty years," says Kristin Horton, Executive Director of MCHA.  "MCHA’s 50th anniversary gala not only honors this dedication but also looks forward to the next 50 years. It will truly be a night of celebration."

50 Years of Impact

Until 1975, separate hotel-motel and restaurant groups served local hospitality professionals. As Monterey County’s industry grew, leaders recognized that different tourism sectors faced similar challenges and opportunities. The 1975 launch of the Monterey Peninsula Hotel Restaurant Association (MPHRA) gave businesses a stronger collective voice.

“Our purpose and our goal was to make sure hospitality was viable in our community and to help our legislators and decision-makers understand how important this industry is," says Cannery Row Company's Ted Balestreri, who was named the first MPHRA president.  

The organization supported about 30 members in those early days. By 1990, it was welcoming attractions, events, retailers and other visitor-serving businesses under a new name: the Monterey County Hospitality Association. Today, more than 225 MCHA members and their employees benefit from networking, professional development, employee recognition and government affairs programs. 

Monterey County’s hospitality industry supports small businesses, flexible career opportunities, vital tax revenues and enhanced quality of life for all residents.

“California is, arguably, the toughest place in which to do business. Monterey County Hospitality Association helps us do so, collaboratively, and with success, on behalf of our community and our guests,” Balestreri says. “Every year, MCHA becomes more important.” 

The 2025 Event

By holding its 50th anniversary gala at the Monterey Conference Center, MCHA invites more community members to celebrate their friends and neighbors who work in hospitality. The event includes live music, prizes and auction packages that raise money for MCHA programs. 

High-profile area chefs will present a multi-course menu featuring local food and wine. Following the dinner, two hospitality professionals will receive awards for their service and impact. The evening ends with an after-party.

Honoring Local Leaders  

MCHA Lifetime Achievement Award: Ted J. Balestreri 

Cannery Row Company Chairman and CEO Ted Balestreri will receive the MCHA Lifetime Achievement Award during the March 2025 event. The New York native opened Monterey’s Sardine Factory in 1968, together with Executive Chef Bert Cutino, and he is the founding and general managing partner of Cannery Row Company. Balestreri is past president of the California Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association, where he’s been a board member for more than 40 years. He has also been active in the California Travel and Tourism Commission, the World Travel and Tourism Council, the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, the California Chamber of Commerce, MCHA and other organizations.

Balestreri works tirelessly to improve Monterey County and the hospitality profession, says MCHA Board member John Narigi, who has known Balestreri for more than three decades.

"Locally, he has been a supporter of hospitality since the opening of the Sardine Factory. Annually, as the guest speaker at the MCHA recognition lunch, he always offers sound advice to the hospitality associates who attend. He was an original donor and remains a major supporter of the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus and Drummond Culinary Center. When you talk hospitality, Ted remains a well-respected and active leader,” Narigi says. “Overall, he is a good man with a true interest in helping others to excel in the hospitality industry. 

Sabu Shake, Jr.: MCHA Hospitality Professional of the Year

Sabu Shake, Jr., will receive the MCHA Hospitality Professional of the Year award at the upcoming gala. Shake is chief financial officer for the Restaurant Pacific Group, which includes Fish Hopper locations on Cannery Row and in Kona, Hawaii. He grew up working in his family's business, Old Fisherman's Grotto, before opening the Monterey Fish Hopper location with his brother, Chris. Shake launched Sabu's Safari, an annual event that raised more than $6.5 million for the Salvation Army–Monterey Peninsula Corps during its 15-year run. He has also spearheaded toy and turkey drives, served on several nonprofit boards, and distributed thousands of meals to community members during the pandemic’s early days.

For event details and Annual Award Gala tickets, visit mcha.net.

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About MCHA

The Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) provides a unified voice for more than 26,000 local hospitality professionals. Since 1975, the nonprofit trade organization has protected the interests of employees through advocacy and strong partnerships with local government, elected officials and community groups. MCHA also leads employee recognition events and expands career opportunities through educational programs serving all facets of the hospitality industry. MCHA proudly supports the hospitality and tourism businesses that generate approximately $300 million in state and local tax revenues a year, directly benefiting all Monterey County residents. Learn more at www.mcha.net.

Note to editors: Event coverage opportunities include interviews with award winners and MCHA members, plus images of award presentations and gala events.

What: 50th Anniversary - A Legacy of Hospitality, MCHA’s annual awards gala

When: Friday, March 14, 2025, 6 p.m.

Where: Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey, CA 93940

Event tickets: mcha.net 

Media contact: Kristin Horton, MCHA Executive Director, kristin@mcha.net

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