Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, a small business module with deep roots in the Caribbean, will be recognized for its commitment to community empowerment and youth development through franchising and scholarships, at an awards ceremony in Queens, NY, on Saturday, April 16, 2011, starting at 9:00 pm.

“What started 20 years ago as a regular ‘mom & pop’ patty shop in the North Bronx, USA, has grown to become one of the most successful small business enterprise and that’s what we will be celebrating this year,” noted Judith Hutchinson, president of Comets Club International (CCI), the organization that will present the patty giants with its International Community Development Partnership (CODPAR) Award for 2011.

The award ceremony is the highlight of the club’s (CCI) annual charity dinner and reunion gala, which will be held at the Rochdale Village Community Center Auditorium, 169-65 137th Avenue (between Guy R. Brewer & Farmers’ Blvds), Jamaica (Queens), NY, 11434.

“From a short list of three (3) candidates, the choice was easy,” according to Linda Graham, co-chair of the 2011 Dinner Committee.

“Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill is deeply honored to be recognized by Comets club International, NY, for its contribution to the community. It has been a privilege to serve our customers and the community at large by giving back a portion of each dollar spent within our stores towards education, health and other areas of need,” according to a statement from the company acknowledging its selection for the award.

With more than 120 stores (franchises) in 9 States and programs that support individuals as well as community development through an established family foundation, the Golden Krust module continues to impact lives and lifestyles in homes and communities, in ways that have earned Chairman/CEO Lowell Hawthorne, his staff and associates, accolades from Main Street to Wall Street.

“We are resolved more that ever to maintain a strong brand image and to be the brand of choice when it comes to Caribbean Cuisine,” Hawthorne noted in an Op-Ed article titled, “meeting the challenges ahead”, and published in the company’s most recent news bulletin.

“Our brand (Golden Krust) is more than just patties, it’s a true taste of the (Caribbean) islands, rhythm included,” opined Candice Richards, Marketing & PR Manager, based in the company’s South Bronx headquarters, NYC.

Last recipients of the Comets Club International CODPAR Award include; Grace Kennedy Limited, Western Union Financial, Team Jamaica Bickle, ISSA-Jamaica, Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA), Inc., and Entrepreneur Wesmore Thomas of Philadelphia, PA.

Sharing the spotlight with Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill will be members of the Montego Bay Secondary School (the former Senior School now St. James High) sprint relay teams that posted back-to-back wins at the Gibson Relays in the early 1980s, when the teams were coached by Daniel Dwyer and Aubrey Campbell.

The charity dinner also serves as a reunion for past members and former athletes of the Montego Bay Comets Athletics Club, now scattered across the USA, Canada and the UK.

Comets Club International is the overseas division of the Montego Bay Comets Athletics Club. “Comets” was established in the Fall of 1977 to support the development of Track & Field Athletics in Jamaica.