Olive Garden Announces Winners in Pasta Tales Essay Contest

ORLANDO, Fla., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelle Fauber's favorite family activity is the time she spends gathering with her father, stepmother and younger sister to watch home videos of her late mother. Fauber's moving description of why this is special to her was chosen by judges as the grand prize winner in the 12th-annual Olive Garden Pasta Tales national essay writing contest.

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A 12th-grader at Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pa., Fauber's essay was selected from more than 28,300 entries, the most ever received in the history of the contest. Students in first through 12th grade were asked: "What is your favorite family activity and what makes it so special?"

In her essay, Fauber recounts the cherished details of her mother brought to life on video. "There she was: laughing, touching the arms of her friends, making bad jokes that sounded frighteningly like my own. A woman with strikingly pale skin and jet black hair; a person with a life, a laugh, a voice that seemed strangely unfamiliar and yet exactly as I thought; my mother," Fauber wrote. "I saw on that night that the ability to look back on a painful yet indispensable past and to be smiling in the present in the company of each other. ... "

Fauber's essay was "happy and sad, optimistic, inspiring and nostalgic. There wasn't a wasted word, and in only a handful of sentences she brought readers into a whole new world. ... Her moving, efficient, genuine tone had no match in this contest," noted one of the judges from the Quill and Scroll Society of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Iowa who reviews the essays.

As the Pasta Tales grand prize winner, Fauber receives a $2,500 savings bond, a trip with her family to New York City and dinner at the Olive Garden in Times Square.

Olive Garden also announced a winner in each of 12 grade categories. In another first for the contest, a sister and brother were selected as winners. Fifth grader Kelsey Nelsen Fosstveit and her second grade brother Erik won in their respective categories. The Fosstveit siblings join the other age group winners in receiving a $500 savings bond and dinner with their family at their local Olive Garden:

Grade 1: Aidan Baryk, New York, "Hiking to the Beach" Grade 2: Erik Fosstveit, New York, "Happy Campers" Grade 3: Sophie McFee, Florida, "Evening Bike Rides" Grade 4: Michaela Kivett, Florida, "Snorkeling" Grade 5: Kelsey Nelsen Fosstveit, New York, "Time with Grandma" Grade 6: Alyssa DeHerrera, Colorado, "Family Fun in the Fall" Grade 7: Alexandra Swets, Florida, "Family on Wheels" Grade 8: Caitlin Bullock, Mississippi, "Out on the Boat" Grade 9: Morgan Ayres, Illinois, "Raking Leaves" Grade 10: Melissa McElhose, California, "Decorating the Christmas Tree" Grade 11: Ann Schmeling, Illinois, "Dishes by Hand" Grade 12: Melissa Becker, New York, "Work Hands"

"Michelle's beautifully written essay was heartfelt and shared an intimate look into a very special moment for her family," said Mara Frazier, spokesperson for Olive Garden. "Every year, we are impressed by the creativity and talent of these young writers. Thanks to them for their efforts, as well as to the parents and teachers who encourage them to express their thoughts and emotions through writing."

Entries were judged on creativity, adherence to theme, organization, grammar, punctuation and spelling by Olive Garden and the Quill and Scroll Society at the University of Iowa. Full copies of the 2008 essays are available upon request.

The question for the 2009 Pasta Tales essay contest will be announced in August. Entry forms and complete rules will be available at local Olive Garden restaurants and online at http://www.olivegarden.com/company/community/pasta_tales.asp from Oct. 1 through Dec. 5.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with 643 restaurants, more than 80,000 employees and $2.8 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. , the world's largest full-service owned and operated restaurant company. For more information, visit Olive Garden's Web site at http://www.olivegarden.com/ .