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40 Under 40
By Tamirra Stewart and Kelly St. JohnPublished: May 01, 2010
Pamela Waitt
Age: 36
President of the Orange County Restaurant Association
ocrestaurantassociation.org
Pamela Waitt is the woman who brought Restaurant Week to Orange County. A serious foodie who had been marketing restaurants for years, she was tired of her native county being slighted compared to Los Angeles and San Diego, which boasted county-wide dining events. Instead of just complaining, in 2008 Waitt founded OC Restaurant Association Inc., which produces Orange County Restaurant Week, Happy Hour Week and Kid’s Restaurant Week.
“It felt as though Orange County had been snubbed as not cool enough in the culinary world, when in fact, we have amazing talent and dining options here,” says Waitt. “We have this great bunch of restaurants and chefs.”
Now, Waitt’s events are putting local restaurants on the map. In 2010, more than 100 of them participated in OC Restaurant Week. She is especially proud of Happy Hour Week (coming this October) because it was created right here in Orange County, says Waitt, whose favorite drink is a chocolate martini.
OC METRO's 40 Under 40
Devon Hocker | Kelly George | Ryan Dudley | Rob Marcereau
Kevin Maggiacomo | Jarrod & Gavin Dogan | Brian D. Goodman
Gabriel E. Serrato-Buelna | Luke McDaniel & Cameron Driscoll
Kerry Johnson Anthony | Robby Starbuck | Ryan Kerrigan
Jacqueline Thompson | Dr. Andrew Abraham | John Carley
Brian Smith & Robert Hagopian | Evan Stanley | Vic Tanon
Sinan Kanatsiz | Nikan Khatibi | Jared Pobre | Katie McLeish
John E. Stratman Jr. | Jon Marashi, DDS | Robert Vaughan
April Madigan & Erin Hall | Joseph V. Volz | Matt Gahan
Gloria Lee | Frank Talarico | Joshua Hong | Pamela Waitt
Ryan Grant & Colin Field | Vincenzo Spinnato | Craig Cooke
Michael Moodian | Chesley Beaver | Eric Codorniz
Natalia Olenicoff | Michael Filson
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Age: 36 President of the Orange County Restaurant Association ocrestaurantassociation.org Pamela Waitt is the woman who brought Restaurant Week to Orange County. A serious foodie who had been marketing restaurants for years, she was tired of her native county being slighted compared to Los Angeles and San Diego, which boasted county-wide dining events. Instead of just complaining, in 2008 Waitt founded OC Restaurant Association Inc., which produces Orange County Restaurant Week, Happy Hour Week and Kid’s Restaurant Week. “It felt as though Orange County had been snubbed as not cool enough in the culinary world, when in fact, we have amazing talent and dining options here,” says Waitt. “We have this great bunch of restaurants and chefs.” Now, Waitt’s events are putting local restaurants on the map. In 2010, more than 100 of them participated in OC Restaurant Week. She is especially proud of Happy Hour Week (coming this October) because it was created right here in Orange County, says Waitt, whose favorite drink is a chocolate martini. OC METRO's 40 Under 40
Devon Hocker | Kelly George | Ryan Dudley | Rob Marcereau Kevin Maggiacomo | Jarrod & Gavin Dogan | Brian D. Goodman Gabriel E. Serrato-Buelna | Luke McDaniel & Cameron Driscoll Kerry Johnson Anthony | Robby Starbuck | Ryan Kerrigan Jacqueline Thompson | Dr. Andrew Abraham | John Carley Brian Smith & Robert Hagopian | Evan Stanley | Vic Tanon Sinan Kanatsiz | Nikan Khatibi | Jared Pobre | Katie McLeish John E. Stratman Jr. | Jon Marashi, DDS | Robert Vaughan April Madigan & Erin Hall | Joseph V. Volz | Matt Gahan Gloria Lee | Frank Talarico | Joshua Hong | Pamela Waitt Ryan Grant & Colin Field | Vincenzo Spinnato | Craig Cooke Michael Moodian | Chesley Beaver | Eric Codorniz Natalia Olenicoff | Michael Filson |
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