Ruth U Fertel Foundation

The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation – established in the will of Ruth’s Chris Steak House founder Ruth Fertel – supports education in Louisiana, including public, private and parochial schools; special programs designed to serve students from kindergarten through college; and other high-impact educational initiatives. It gave away $1.2 million in 2006 after Katrina largely to institutions that establish models of success that can be replicated in urban areas across the country. The Foundation supported the creation of Bistro Ruth at the John Folse Culinary Arts Center as well as Southern Foodways Alliance’s Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award.