C-CAP Annual Awards Breakfast

Since 1990, C-CAP has awarded students $34 million in scholarships and donated $2.6 million worth of supplies and equipment to classrooms.

C-CAP provides training and curriculum enrichment programs including teacher training, scholarship and cooking competitions, job shadows, job training, internships, career advising and college advising. The scholarship awards provide the opportunity for a professional culinary education that otherwise would not be affordable. ICE President Rick Smilow, a long time C-CAP board member, noted, “C-CAP is the largest and most impressive culinary scholarship program in the nation.”

The cooking portion of the scholarship competition took place at ICE last month. Nineteen New York City students competed for the chance to one of the many scholarships to various schools throughout the area. Guest speaker Marcus Samuelsson, Chef-Owner of New York hot spot Red Rooster advised the students to always remember their roots and stay in touch with the mentors they have now. He told them that his mentors had been an invaluable source of advice and knowledge when he most needed their guidance and encouraged them to come back to C-CAP when they reached crossroads in their careers.

ICE Manager of Operations Mary Bartolini with ICE Scholarship Winner Alberto Obando

During the ceremony, a select group of high school juniors from the program were awarded the chance to participate in culinary boot camps and multi-day courses to further their culinary education. The high school seniors were awarded a variety of partial and full scholarships to a variety of professional career-training programs in the New York area. The scholarships ranged in value from $500 to $92,136. Alberto Obando was awarded a full scholarship to ICE. Alberto, a senior from Long Island City High School, described himself as “sharp as a knife” in his scholarship essay, and we are sure that will prove true during his time here.