Amanda Hesser, food writer, New York Times:
"Les Dames d'Escoffier, Boston gave me a chance to take my interest in food and find my way to a career that suited me. With their support, I worked in Germany , Switzerland , Italy and France , and eventually went to cooking school. By the time my scholarship ended, I had found my place. I was writing."
Recipes for Success
Careers through Culinary Arts Program
C-CAP in Boston is one of eight programs around the country. C-CAP works with high school culinary arts programs to prepare students for post secondary education in the field. Currently C-CAP targets inner city youth.
The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation sponsored the 3rd Annual Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Cooking Competition for Scholarships in 2007.
The Cooking Competition for Scholarships is the culmination of the year-long program, which partners with the local public high schools and businesses to provide career opportunities in the food industry for at-risk and underserved youth through culinary arts education and employment. C-CAP has the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the United States.
To qualify for the final competition and scholarships, C-CAP students are first chosen from a preliminary competition designed to spot top talent. They then participate in practical examinations, essay writing and interviews with C-CAP Administrators.
Scholarships are based on a combination of the student's interview responses, culinary techniques, food presentation and taste, as well as overall academic record. The participating seniors are judged on organization, sanitation, teamwork, work flow, cooking technique, and timing as they prepare dishes from memory.
Traditional Scholarships
A Scholarship Committee consisting of Les Dames members is responsible for corresponding with our past scholarship recipients and identifying new candidates. Les Dames scholarships are awarded in the amounts of $1000-$5000 for female students who are also looking for networking and mentoring relationships. Our scholars are culinary students who may or may not desire to remain in the kitchen upon graduation. Many hospitality students find the mentoring available to them very helpful as do food writers. Students must be in the second year or later of their program to qualify. All applications are due on May 30 for the following academic year. The Committee shall complete its review of applicants and present its recommendations at the June Board meeting. Applicants will be notified by the committee. Download an application.