March 2006 Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Steamboat Springs, CO March 6, 2006 -- The Culinary Grant Program was established in 2003 to assist culinary students in need of financial assistance.

For the 2005-2006 academic year, we received more than 100 applications from students at 30 different culinary schools across the country. Eligible students must attend a culinary school at the time of the award, show proof of their financial need, and provide a 500-word essay.

The reviewing panel consisted of seventeen certified chefs, executive chefs and culinary professionals from various organizations. We are pleased to award fourteen $1,000.00 grants to the following students:

Chef Florian Wehrli presents a check to Alison Williams at the  Johnson & Wales Campus in Denver, Colorado. Heidi Park, Culinary Institute of America, NY Chef June Jacobs, CCP presenting the grant to Georgia Pelligrini at the French Culinary Institute in New York. From left to right: Chef June, Crystal Frazier, Georgia Pellegrini and Dr. Chris Papagni, Dean of Student Affairs. Chef Ron Zabler presenting the grant to Heng Lim at the Washburne Culinary Institute at Kennedy King College, Chicago, IL. Jeanne Stanford, Institute of Culinary Education, NY David Caputo, Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary and Pastry Arts David Lieberman, Johnson & Wales, Charlotte Campus, NC

Robert Ruiz, Johnson & Wales, Providence, RI Sean McCash, Culinary Institute of America, NY Chef Jean Denham, CC presenting the grant to James Gavigan, Le Cordon Bleu, Las Vegas, NV Christopher Capasso, New England Culinary Institute, VT Jeremy Breitling, Scottsdale Culinary Institute, AZ Brenda Ramirez, Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. IL Crystal Frazier, French Culinary Institute, NY

Funding for the 2005-2006 grants were provided by Chef2Chef.Net, the proceeds of a fundraising dinner and silent auction at the Chimney Park Bistro in Windsor, Colorado and at the Lafayette Inn in Stanardsville, Virginia as well as revenues derived from cookbook and recipe CD-Rom sales.

About the Chefs4Students Program

We offers a variety of programs for companies and individuals to participate in this non-profit effort to assist culinary students in need.

The Chefs4Students Culinary Grant Program is administered by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation and contributions may be tax deductible. Please call Chef David Nelson at 970-846-0059 for further information on how to help us give back to the future of the culinary industry.

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A Thank you Note

1946 Campus Dr
Hyde Park, NY 12538
April 14, 2006

Chimney Park Bistro
406 Main Street
Windsor, CO 80550

Dear Chef Florian Wehrli and staff,

I am writing to extend my appreciation and gratitude to be the recipient of this Culinary Grant. Your most generous donation has greatly helped me to reduce the burden of my student loan.

I am a 27-year old Coast Guard (CG) officer with five years of operational experience from both aboard and ashore duty positions. While aboard the CG vessels, my primary job was Deck Watch Officer (ship driver). However, I spent more free time in the galley than in my own stateroom. I often helped the cooks with daily meal preparations and occasionally found myself in comical situations like keeping batter from splashing out of the Hobart mixer when the ship pitched and rolled. Since I rarely got seasick in stormy weather, I volunteered to fill in for the cooks whose stomachs could not acclimate to the tossing waves. Despite my various duties, I was happiest when I was productive in the galley.

While I was stationed at CG Headquarters in Washington, DC, I volunteered at DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) where I helped prepare 4,000 meals every day for distribution to soup kitchens in the DC area. Again I spent most of my days off from my regular job to volunteer in the kitchen where I de-boned turkeys, baked croutons, chopped vegetables, made sandwiches, and prepped soup stock ingredients for the chefs. I found the experience at DCCK a rewarding one because I was able to give back to my community while learning my way in and around a busy industrial kitchen.

Applying to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was a logical career choice for me because I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming an executive pastry chef on a cruise ship, thereby combining my fondness for being on the water and my desire to create gourmet food. I wanted to learn from a faculty of truly competent professionals at a school with inspiring traditions. CIA has met and exceeded my expectations in every way.

My studies here are possible only because of the generous support of sponsors like you. I hope to have an opportunity to extend the same kind of generosity to the Chefs4Students scholars who come after me. Thank you again for your contribution.

Sincerely,
Heidi Park