The Chef's Academy Announces Winners Of The 2012 Top Teen Talent Scholarship

RALEIGH, NC, June 30, 2012 (Press-News.org) The Chef's Academy (http://www.thechefsacademy.com), the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study, has announced the winners of the 2012 Top Teen Talent Scholarship Competition. The competition, hosted at The Chef's Academy's campus in Indianapolis, highlights the culinary and pastry talents of high school students throughout the United States and the District of Columbia. The 2012 winner, Raven McNulty, has been awarded with a full tuition scholarship to study pastry education. McNulty, a Raleigh native, graduated from Apex High School in May and will start her educational training at The Chef's Academy's campus in Morrisville, N.C. in August.

Seven students, including three from North Carolina, traveled to Indianapolis to compete for the scholarship opportunity. Marcus Ryan placed second in the competition and received a $5,000 scholarship to attend The Chef's Academy campus in Indianapolis. The remaining five finalists, Darsey Caswell, William Hamilton, Virginia Kelm, Kevin Wamsley and Christopher Stryker have each been awarded a $1,000 scholarship to attend The Chef's Academy at the campus of their choice. Finalists William Hamilton, a rising senior at East Wake High School, and Virginia Kelm, a rising senior at Riverside High School, also represented the Triangle region at the competition in Indianapolis.

The Top Teen Talent Scholarship Competition was divided into three separate categories: culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management. Participating high school juniors and seniors were asked to submit official competition forms, including an essay and recipe submission as well as photo of their culinary or pastry creation. Submissions were posted on The Chef's Academy Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/thechefsacademy) for the public to vote on the winning entries. Once the finalists were chosen, the students traveled to Indianapolis to compete in the final showdown in front of a judging panel of professional chefs. The style of the competition required students to prepare a pre-set menu, given to each participant prior to the competition to practice.

QUOTES:
"The 2012 Top Teen Talent Scholarship Competition gives students the opportunity to explore and showcase their unique culinary and pastry skills," said Jayson Boyers, national division president of The Chef's Academy. "The competition serves as a great platform to support the next generation of professional chefs. We are honored to recognize the talents of each participant and look forward to having Raven McNulty join our Morrisville campus in August. She is truly talented and we are excited for her to further her culinary training and education at The Chef's Academy."

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The Chef's Academy Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ncchefsacademy

The Chef's Academy Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/thechefsacademy

The Chef's Academy Blog:
http://thechefsacademy.blogspot.com/

The Chef's Academy YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/thechefsacademy

DETAILS:
- All essay submissions ran a maximum of 300 words stating why the applicant would like to study his or her program of choice at The Chef's Academy.

- Scoring for the competition included a brief five-minute interview with each entrant by three industry professionals, who facilitated a conversation about college readiness and career commitment with each competitor.

- The night prior to competition, all students along with their parent/guardian and instructors were invited to The Chef's Academy's campus to hear the institution's National Dean, Chef Tony Hanslits, and other instructors of the school speak about the endless opportunities of a career in the hospitality industry.

ABOUT THE CHEF'S ACADEMY:
The Chef's Academy is the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study. More than 6,000 students altogether are enrolled at Harrison College's 12 campuses, its online division and The Chef's Academy. Headquartered in Indianapolis, The Chef's Academy opened a second academy on a 4.37-acre campus in North Carolina's Triangle in August 2011. At The Chef's Academy, students become prepared and marketable graduates entering the fields of culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management through classroom and experiential instruction that sets up expectations for the real-life industry. The college's culinary division provides an environment that fosters students' passion for culinary arts and hospitality and a curriculum developed by the most qualified instructors and leaders in the market. The Chef's Academy is endorsed and accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). For more information about The Chef's Academy, visit http://www.thechefsacademy.com.

Anjelica Cummings
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
anjelica@mmipublicrelations.com
http://twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com
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