Our Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter has created a local scholarship to be awarded to women in the field of food, wine, hospitality, nutrition, food technology, the arts of the table and other related fields. Awards are based on merit and ability and will vary from year to year.

This year we received 10 applications for our scholarships.  And
interestingly enough, they are all from students attending or who will be attending Le Cordon Bleu. 
If you recall last year, we had awarded scholarships to students attending St. Paul College and LCB.  However, our LCB recipient's plans changed and she ended up not going to culinary school so we went to our third student on our list who also was attending St. Paul College, so both scholarships went to that school.

 After carefully reviewing the applications, as always, it was a very tough decision.

We could easily have awarded at least 5 scholarships!  In the end, we selected two young women from out-state who are just graduating high school.

 Katie Axelson is from Plainview and will be studying to be a pastry chef.  For the past 3 years, she has worked in a local bakery and has fallen in love with cake decorating.  Katie wants to go to school to learn everything she needs to know to be a pastry chef and cake decorator.  She says "I already have half an idea of the hours I will have to work and the time and money it will take and I'm not running.This is something I am ready to accept and go full force into."

Jessica Jones, from Crosby, has a passion for cooking.  She wasn't originally going to study foods because she had been told that getting a job in her hobby would make it not fun anymore.  But after considering landscaping or interior design, she just couldn't stop thinking about being a real chef.  Says Jessica about attending LCB, "Le Cordon Bleu is so dedicated to making you the best of the best and that's really what made me want to go there, just knowing that they are serious."  Jessica has a medical condition that requires daily medication, monthly blood work and a visit to a medical specialist every 3 months.  She says that she can really use the financial help, and we are happy to oblige.

To update on our current recipients, Susan Carr, who some of you may remember meeting at the Escoffier dinner last year at the Dakota or at the Mill City Museum meeting, continues to work at Byerly's in the FoodE program and in the liquor store, which she loves.  Erica Johnson, who unfortunately has not been able to coordinate school and work to make it to one of our meetings, will be taking a sous chef position in Lanesboro.

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