Phillip S. Cooke, founder and retired president of FSA Group, a public relations and association management company based in Louisville, Ky., died of a heart attack on Oct. 24 during a visit to Chicago. Phillip spent his entire career in the foodservice industry.

Following graduation from Grove City College (Pennsylvania), he moved to New York where he worked as an assistant in the editorial department at The New York Times. Following that, he went to work for Ahrens Publishing, serving as managing editor of Restaurant Management and then as editor of Restaurant Equipment Dealer magazines. He was also editor of Chain Store Age, Restaurant Edition, precursor to Nation's Restaurant News. In 1964 he joined Restaurants & Institutions and moved to Chicago to serve as the magazine's editor-in-chief.


Phillip left publishing in 1968 to form his own public-relations firm representing several national foodservice chains and many independent restaurants. In 1978 he moved his company to Louisville and expanded into association management with a focus on culinary and foodservice industry organizations.


In 1982, Phillip created the Symposium on American Cuisine as a public-relations vehicle to promote Sixth Avenue, a new Louisville restaurant by the Grisanti organization that specialized in authentic American food. The event brought national recognition to the restaurant and was at the forefront of the New American cuisine movement. A total of seven symposia were produced throughout the 1980s in cities across the country. The symposia created a high profile for FSA and established its reputation as a leader in the culinary industry.


In 2003, the company was sold to New York City-based publisher Lebhar-Friedman, and Phillip retired in 2005. He is survived by his business and life-partner of 44 years, Daniel Maye; a brother, Thomas C. Cooke of Indianapolis; four nephews, Bryan, Terry and Randy Cooke; and a niece, Rebecca Babcock Cooke.


Contributions in his memory can be made to Phillip S. Cooke Memorial Fund, c/0 New England Culinary Institute, 56 College St. Montpelier, VT 05602.