Cargill Foodservice Awards $10,000 in Scholarships to Culinary Institute of America Students
For Immediate Release: June 17, 2004
Contacts: Jacqueline Hanson, 952-941-3949, Jackie@Hanson.ws
Hyde Park, NY – (June 17, 2004) Two Culinary Institute of America (CIA) students are one step closer to achieving their professional goals, thanks to scholarships from Cargill’s foodservice operations.
Megumi Okada of Tokyo, Japan, and Rachele Shafai of Newcastle, California each received $5,000 scholarships from Cargill. The scholarships are two of five $5,000 scholarships that Cargill is awarding each year over the next three years.
“These three students share Cargill’s passion and commitment to the foodservice industry,” said Norman Bessac, senior vice president, Cargill Meat Solutions. “By supporting them – and students like them – we are helping to strengthen the entire profession.”
The $75,000 Cargill Diversity Scholarship program was created last fall to support minority students participating in the CIA’s bachelor of professional studies degree programs. To qualify for the scholarships, students must have a minimum 3.0 grade average and be of African-American, Asian, Latin or Native American heritage.
The scholarships were presented June 10 during graduation ceremonies for a group of Cargill foodservice managers who had just successfully completed the CIA’s Certified Culinary Sales Professional (CCSP) Program. Two scholarships for the 2003-2004 academic year were previously awarded to students in December. A fifth scholarship will be awarded later this year.
The Cargill Diversity Scholarship honors the memory of Chef Viktor Baumann, one of two CIA instructors instrumental in the initial development of the CCSP Program. Cargill worked closely with Baumann when helping the college develop the landmark program, which is now being offered to foodservice sales professionals around the country. Baumann taught at the CIA from 1985 until he died unexpectedly in 2003.
As scholarship winners Okada and Shafai will receive more than financial support from Cargill. One of the world’s largest foodservice suppliers, Cargill invites the winning students to meet with company representatives and tour some of the company’s various foodservice operations to provide them with insight into how today’s foods are raised, prepared and processed.
Okada expects to complete her bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry arts this fall. She says she likes being a “pastry artist” because it allows her to express herself creatively while still bringing joy to others. Her long-term goal is to someday own and operate her own café.
Shafai is majoring in the college’s culinary arts program and also expects to complete her bachelor’s degree this fall. Her professional goal is to become a food photographer, combining her interest in photography with her background in foodservice.
Funding for the scholarship program was contributed by Cargill Foodservice Meat Solutions; Cargill Salt; Cargill Dressings, Sauces and Oils; Sunny Fresh Foods, and Horizon Milling.
Cargill Foodservice Meat Solutions is one of the country’s largest fresh, frozen, and value-added beef, pork, and turkey suppliers. Its product lines include Excel Beef, Excel Pork,
Cargill Turkey, Emmpak Foods, and Taylor Beef. A business unit of Cargill, Sunny Fresh
Foods is a leader in high-quality, value-added egg products. Its specialty items are served in thousands of restaurants nationwide. Cargill Salt supplies salt products for a variety of industries and applications, including foodservice and food processing. A joint venture between Cargill and Harvest States, Horizon Milling is a leader flour miller with a coast-to-coast network of 21 U.S. mills. Cargill Dressings, Sauces and Oil North America refines vegetable oil, tropical oil, and animal fat for a wide range of food and non-food applications. It offers a full line of mayonnaise and flavored dressings, culinary sauces, and menu designs for industrial, food processing, and foodservice enterprises.
About Cargill
Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 101,000 employees in 60 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com.