ABOUT
HEART TO HARVEST.
MISSION & HISTORY.
Launched in 2018, Heart to Harvest is a 501(c)(3) charity organization with the original mission of preserving New Jersey’s family farms by educating the. public on the importance of supporting local farmers, raising awareness on the struggles they face and helping to keep farming families on their land, inspiring agricultural careers for future generations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the board is updating its mission to create a fund that can help restaurants reopen for dine in service as well as farms that have been struggling while their restaurant clients have been closed.
Our goal is to help as many restaurateurs reopen for dine-in service as possible. Heart to Harvest pledges to maintain minimal overhead and to be transparent throughout the process. The Board of Advisors are unpaid and many individuals and entities have donated services or reduced fees to launch this initiative.
The Board.
Robby Younes
Robby Younes is a 22 year restaurant and hotel veteran with a career at hotel groups including Starwood and Hilton.
He is currently Chief Operating Officer of Crystal Springs Resort, overseeing all operations at the resort's two hotels, nine culinary outlets and award-winning wine cellar. He is also founder of the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival. He received the New Jersey Hospitality & Restaurant Association's (NJRHA) “Hospitality Award” in 2018 and has been named one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40.
CHAIRMAN
Michael Whiteman
Michael is President of BAUM+WHITEMAN International Restaurant Consultants, a boutique global consulting firm that’s been "wowing" the food world with one-of-a-kind dining attractions. The company is known for creating (and operating) two of the world's largest grossing restaurant complexes – the late Windows on the World and the Rainbow Room. The company also created three of the world’s first food courts in Japan, Europe and the US along with some of the hottest drinking places on the planet. He is known as the “dean of American restaurant consultants," and is a widely influential food trends forecaster.
President of BAUM+WHITEMAN International Restaurant Consultants
Hana Konheim
Hana is the Vice President of On-Premise Sales for Allied Beverage Group, responsible for all On-Premise Divisions and overseeing all On-Premise accounts and initiatives. Over the past two decades, Hana has held multiple roles in the field. Beginning as the Director of Operations for the South City Grill Group, she transitioned to R&R Marketing as a Field Manager. Through mergers and development over the past twelve years, Hana has grown within the organization to the management team.
Vice President On-Premise Sales, Allied Beverage Group
Joseph Bellantoni
Joseph Bellantoni has been in the finance industry for more than 35 years.
He is an accounting and financial consultant and the former CFO of the Crystal Springs and Mountain Creek Resorts in New Jersey. Joe earned his MBA from MIT Sloan and a BBA from Pace University.
CFO
Markus Draxler
Markus grew up in Austria and was raised in a family-run inn and restaurant. His work travels have led him to Africa and the Middle East, on cruise ships and resorts, and to New York City where he worked with Daniel Boulud for 9 years. Markus has spent more than 20 years in the restaurant industry and in 2011 established specialty food distribution company Solex Fine Foods, which he merged with Catsmo Artisanal Smokehouse in 2013.
CEO, Solex Catsmo
“In my more than two decades in the restaurant and hospitality industries, we have never seen a more daunting set of challenges. Our goal is to help save as many of our cherished dining spots as possible.”
Robby Younes, Chairman
CONTACT US.
We’re here to answer questions about Heart to Harvest and The Restaurant Rescue Fund.