We admit that it is unusual to give a birthday gift posthumously, but we are doing it anyway. On this, what would have been Tom’s 75th birthday, we introduce the The Tom Fitzmorris Scholarship drive.
Over the course of my 37 years with Tom, I can’t count the number of times a restaurateur has said these things to me, or some version of this: “We wouldn’t be here without Tom,” or, “Tom put me on the map,” or “Tom saved us.” Vendors who work with restaurateurs have said, “What Tom did for this business and the city cannot be measured.”
We agree with all these sentiments. The unique legacy of Tom Fitzmorris should be remembered. Beginning today, we are seeking donations of any size for this fund to assist promising candidates who will be part of the next generation of local culinary professionals.
The fund will be managed by people whose business is fundraising, The Northshore Community Foundation, a collection of individual non-profits all operating under one banner. Donations will go directly into the fund. Scholarships will be awarded after rigorous review to students who share Tom’s passion for New Orleans food and hospitality. They can choose their education venue as long as the course pursued will enhance our unique culinary culture.
Please help us with our mission by, clicking here, which will direct you to the Fund page.
We thank you most sincerely,
The Fitzmorris family
