C-CAP Celebrates its 20th Anniversary with Marcus Samuelsson

by Lindsay Damast, Posted Mar 3rd 2010 @ 3:00PM

Adrian Salinas

This past Wednesday, the Careers through Culinary Arts Program celebrated its 20th anniversary at Chelsea Piers' Pier 60.

The Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) was created in 1990 by celebrated cookbook author and educator Richard Grausman. Recognizing that many underserved high school students could flourish in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Grausman began working to enrich school culinary programs at the teacher's request. C-CAP puts educators on par with industry professionals by arming them with tools and the knowledge of proper techniques and identifies and nurtures talented students.

C-CAP acts like a guidance counselor for these promising students, matching them to the proper culinary institutions based on their GPA, skills and financial capability. About 160 lucky prodigies are offered a scholarship to their school of choice each year, after proving their worth to judges and top chefs in the annual C-CAP Cooking Competition. In 2009, C-CAP generously awarded $3.2 million in scholarships. They also enable internship opportunities, job training and the ability to shadow high-profile chefs.

Watch our exclusive event red carpet video after the jump.

One such chef who has welcomed these students into his kitchen is Marcus Samuelsson, the renowned Ethiopian-born mastermind behind such restaurants as Aquavit, Riingo and Merkato 55. As a longtime member of C-CAP's Board of Directors and strong supporter of their programs, Samuelsson was an easy choice to be the honoree of C-CAP's 20th Anniversary Benefit, and the first Board chef to receive such accolades.

Samuelsson, known for dabbling in a variety of global cuisines, tells Slashfood that "C-CAP is changing the landscape of American food by giving a lot of inner-city kids who might not have the opportunity to work in the field a chance to participate."

Last November, Samuelsson was the guest chef at the White House for the Obama Administration's first State Dinner, which drew worldwide attention thanks to the infamous "White House Party Crashers." Despite the hype, Samuelsson says it was one of the biggest honors of his lifetime.

"Everybody was really excited," he says. "Even the people who were not invited, they were excited about the dinner! So it was good."

The annual C-CAP benefit serves as the organization's primary fundraising event and gives them an opportunity to welcome the support of the community and businesses. This year's event chairperson was Christina Grdovic, the VP/Publisher of Food & Wine, while CBS's Maurice Dubois acted as master of ceremonies. The walk-around tasting format allowed guests to sample special dishes prepared by more than 30 star chefs.

We caught up with some of the foodies and philanthropists who flocked to Pier 60 for the festivities as they strolled down the red carpet, including Samuelsson himself.

Next up for the busy chef? A cooking series for AOL, premiering next month. More details coming soon!

Video produced by Michelle Boland.

Filed Under: Chefs, Events
Tags: c-cap, careers through culinary arts program, celebrity chef, marcus samuelsson, non-profit, red carpet