College 101

BIG NEWS! (exciting, too!)

Wow, is this terrific or what!

Arizona’s C-CAP scholarship awards total reached $544,824 this spring!  This means we were able to provide increased amount to several well-deserving students.

First, Chelsea Edwards has won the $80,000 national Art Institute scholarship, the only C-CAP student in the country to be recognized with this award.   From Desert Ridge High School in Mesa and EVIT’s culinary arts program, Chelsea plans to attend The Art Institute in Phoenix.

Luke Cornelius, Flagstaff, was awarded a total of $32,000, a full 75 percent of tuition for the culinary program at The Art Institute in Denver, Colo.

Because Lourdes Barerra of Maricopa is not able to relocate to New York state to take advantage of her CIA scholarship, she will instead attend The Art Institute in Phoenix.  She’ll have a %50,000 scholarship for tuition, and an additional $5,000 to help with other school expenses.

We are proud, honored and excited to be able to provide this amount in scholarship  funding to students across Arizona. 

And just wait til next year!

(Watch this space for interviews and more with scholarship winners, teachers, summer school students and mentors!)

Monday =15march10 !!!

Sunday 14march10

C-CAP supporters are everywhere!

C-CAP relies on the kindness, not of strangers, but of many friends and supporters particularly connected with the hospitality industry across the country.

That’s why it’s been so exciting to see jewelry stylist Seanna Kromann at several recent C-CAP events (such as the finals and the recent Mystery Chef dinner at EVIT).

Seanna, an accomplished fashion stylist who currently specializes in fabulous, eye-catching and very fashionable pieces for everyday and for special occasions, is donating proceeds to C-CAP’s Arizona scholarship fund.

If you’ve missed her displays, you can find her online at www.stelladot.com/kromann, or – for a special demonstration for you and a few friends, you might drop her a note at skromann96@hotmail.com.  

Saturday...13march10

2010 C-CAP Scholarships, Arizona

(photos coming soon!)

It’s a rigorous, demanding competition, so much so that every senior who makes it to the C-CAP finals receives some scholarship funding.   This year, 30 students received assistance to further their culinary education.

$1,000 in C-CAP scholarship funds

Samantha Kratzer, Moon Valley High School

Michael Jones, Thunderbird High School

Kristof Rowe, Mountain View High School, Tucson

$2,000 in C-CAP scholarship funds

Matthew Harris, Paradise Valley High School

Courtney Sowers, Valley Vista High School

Jessica McDannel, Liberty High School

Jesus Cruz, MetroTech

Kelly Stephenson, Washington High School

$3,000 in C-CAP scholarship funds

Mikel Guitierriez, Casa Grande High School

Alexander Mayo, Kingman High School

Barbara Culleary Scholarship, $2,000

Samuel Clonts, Ironwood Ridge

Central Arizona College scholarship, $1,800, plus $2,000 C-CAP scholarship

Andrea Parker, Chandler High School – EVIT

American Culinary Foundation, $3,000

Kimberly Contreras, Dobson High School – EVIT

Barbara Fenzl scholarship, $2,500 (includes mentoring)

Adriana Cabrera, MetroTech North

James Beard scholarships, $2,750

Luke Cornelius, Flagstaff High School

Megan Layton, Wickenburg High School

Mystery Chef scholarship, $5,000

Gladys Rangel, Peoria

Beau MacMillan scholarship, $1,000 (include mentoring)

Kordiante Hyler, Mountain View High School, Mesa

Mark Tarbell scholarship, $2,500 (include mentoring)

Rebecca Hermance, Sinagua High School

Scottsdale Culinary Institute, $10,000

Cecilia LeBaron, Cactus High School

Arizona Culinary Institute, $14,000

Shelby Lake, Valley Vista

Justin Richardson, Payson

Classic Cooking Academy, $15,000

Ruben Brito, Flagstaff

Art Instittue,Tucson, $50,000

Tanner Fleming, Flowing Wells

Art Institute, Phoenix, $50,000

Naomi Merritt, Highland High School -EVIT

Joshua Duffy, Hamilton High School – EVIT

Chelsea Edwards, Desert Ridge High School - EVIT

 Culinary Institute of America, $46,750, plus $800 tuition for writing and algebra classes

Lourdes Barrera, Maricopa High School

New England Culinary Institute, $50,000

Andrew Allen, Liberty High School

Johnson and Wales, $80,000

Kelsey Hancock, Wickenburg

Hooray! I get to go to summer school!

It’s a little like the joke about getting to Carnegie Hall.  The key to garnering major points in a culinary competition is simple: practice, practice, practice. 

So even though juniors in culinary classes don’t qualify for scholarships, there’s more to garnering high scores than the honor of preparing lunch during the C-CAP finals. 

This year, four juniors gained the opportunity for culinary school previews through rigorous summer programs.

Shelby Parker, from Liberty/Sunrise Mountain High School in Phoenix, and Billy Lemke, from Casa Grande High School, will attend summer school at The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Phoenix.

Ana Timmis, of Canyon del Oro High School near Tucson, will attend a summer program at Johnson & Wales, and Brianna Zerth, who attends Raymond Kellis High School in Glendale, will spend summer school at the Culinary Institute of America.

Besides full scholarships to summer school, these fortunate four received knife kits from Swiss Army Knives, whisks designed by Richard Grausman, and a signed copy of his notable cookbook, At Home with the French Classics.

Saturday finals set stage for awards

The lobby and dining room at the Arizona Culinary Institute (ACI) overflow with students clutching C-CAP white coats, teachers, parents, siblings and friends. 

It’s not even close to chaos, but there's a palpable anxiety in the air.  Still, once the students are inside the kitchen area and listening to C-CAP president and founder Richard Grausman deliver final advice, everyone seems to take a deep breath.

He tells them to “push hard at the beginning, and make sure you take enough time with the plates.”

Energy levels begin to rise as Glenn Humphrey, ACI’s placement director and C-CAP’s leaad judge, provides directions and instructions  (“You only need to measure milk.”) for Arizona’s final 2010 C-CAP competition.

He adds one final admonition, “Have fun!” and students take their places in one of ACI’s two kitchens being used this morning and scurry to assemble their stations.

There’s still tension in the air, but these aspiring young professionals appear both focused and confident.

The nine judges, and Richard Grausman, too, prowl and prowl among the students as they work. 

 

Chef Grausman is an inveterate instructor, stopping often to demonstrate a better technique.  Chef Tracy Fierros tastes, questions and tastes again.  All of the judges write and write and write.

Chef Joe LaVilla takes a minute to explain what he’s looking for,  “First, technique.  Cleanliness.  The comfort level in working, and how they’re thinking things through.

“Under pressure, it’s easy to forget the things you know.  If you know the basics well, then you’re safe.  It comes down to dedication.”

Judges begin tasting the minute the first plates appear.  Before noon, all of the plates are out, tasting is almost complete and the judges begin to assess presentations.

The students clean up their stations and begin to wait.  It’s a long afternoon, and interviews will take nearly all of it.  Monday’s scholarship presentations seem a long time away,