Foodservice Training Programs Recognized for Excellence in Sustainability and Culinary Entrepreneurship

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Educators representing professional foodservice training across the nation accepted programmatic accolades in the inaugural Culinary Awards of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability at the 14th Annual Leadership Conference of the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Wisconsin on June 14.

Green Award: Recognizes culinary programs that promote and incorporate sustainability efforts as part of the curriculum and operations.

Food Entrepreneurship Award: Identifies culinary programs that either 1) teach or encourage entrepreneurship in programming or 2) implement revenue generation and cost savings into operations.

The awards, which were sponsored by Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, were open to foodservice training programs at all secondary and postsecondary schools in the U.S.

  • 2018 Brightwater Green Award—Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College, Greenville, SC
  • Green Award runner-up—Culinary Institute of Michigan, Muskegon
  • 2018 Brightwater Entrepreneurial Award—The Food Lab: Center for Food and Hospitality Management and Department of Nutrition Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia
  • Entrepreneurial Award runner-up—Park City Culinary Institute, Park City, UT

The top program in each category received a $1,000 grant from Brightwater; all four programs received commemorative plaques. Additionally, each honored program was awarded a complimentary registration for a representative to attend CAFÉ’s 2018 Leadership Conference in Milwaukee, June 14-16.

About Brightwater
Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food is a division of NorthWest Arkansas Community College located in Bentonville, AR, that approaches food as art, food as wellness, and food as business to offer an entirely unique methodology to the culinary arts. Their goal is to develop leaders who combine culinary skills with the ability to recognize and address complex food issues. In addition to artisanal food, culinary arts, butchery, pastry and baking, and beverage management, they offer exclusive courses focused on culinary nutrition, food-waste reduction and food security. For more information, visit www.brightwater.org.

About the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ)
Founded in 2002, CAFÉ links the foodservice classroom to the foodservice industry to provide needed resources to educators so that they may more successfully train students for vibrant, fulfilling careers in the ever-evolving hospitality industry. Through its web portal, online magazine The Gold Medal Classroom, annual Leadership Conference, Deans and Directors Retreat, and regional skills workshops nationwide, CAFÉ is dedicated to addressing the unique needs of highly specialized professionals who wear two hats as culinarians and teachers. For more info, visit www.CafeMeetingPlace.com.

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