Olson Communications, a full-service agency that specializes in delivering innovative marketing-communication strategy to its portfolio of select food-industry clients, announces the winning recipients of its fourth-annual Chefs of Tomorrow™ grant program for culinary educators.

Dana Cox, a chef instructor at the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts at 900 N. North Branch Street, was selected among greater Chicago postsecondary culinary educators to receive a $1,500 grant from Olson Communications’ Chefs of Tomorrow™ initiative based on juried review of her application and essay.  Cox will use the grant to visit heirloom-grain farms in Illinois and South Carolina as research for a book she’s writing on her 12-month experiment of eating only foods grown on family farms. (She currently is eight months into her endeavor.)

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts student Uyen (Nina) Nguyen won the Michelin Scholarship for Culinary Excellence. The scholarship program is sponsored by Michelin, publisher of the world-renowned restaurant rating systems and guide. Nguyen received a $5,000 culinary scholarship and a stage at her choice of the chef judges’ establishments. The student competition, hosted by Kendall College on May 23, was evaluated by top Chicago chefs, whose restaurants are featured in The MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2011, as well as by surprise celebrity chef Eric Ripert from New York City.

Twelve students each prepared one of five famous dishes from legendary Chicago restaurants using their own methods and techniques. The contestants chose dishes from restaurants recognized by Michelin in The MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2011: The Purple Pig (Bib Gourmand), Blackbird (one Michelin star), NAHA (one Michelin star), Spiaggia (one Michelin star) and Avenues (two Michelin stars).

Nguyen, a 23-year-old international student from Vietnam, prepared her rendition of Pig’s Tails Braised in Balsamic from The Purple Pig. She will graduate from Kendall in December 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and already received her associate degree in culinary arts in September 2010.

America's premier lifestyle authority advised graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) that generosity and hard work will be the secret to their success. Martha Stewart delivered the commencement address at the CIA on Friday, April 15, 2011. During the ceremonies, CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, bestowed the college's Master of the Aesthetics of Gastronomy award upon Stewart and presented her with a personalized CIA chef's jacket.

"There is no room in the world of food for stinginess. The greatest chefs and restaurateurs share their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for good food and wine every day," said Stewart to recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. "That generosity of spirit is absolutely imperative with what you are going to be doing."

On May 5 at the second-annual Taste of Derby, three Sullivan University students participated in a burger competition sponsored by Creekstone Farms. Chef judges Bobby Flay, Kent Rathbun and Jo-Jo Doyle awarded Kara Schnaus the $5,000 scholarship prize for her Kara’s B-5 Burger. The original recipe featured Creekstone Farms Black Angus ground chuck seasoned with garlic and jalapeño, spicy mayonnaise, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese served on an onion poppy-seed bun.

Schnaus, a fourth-quarter student at Sullivan, is from Sellersburg, Ind. Her husband is retired from the military and they have four children and one grandchild. She beat out fellow contestants Jeff Roszkowski and Gary Bajdek, who along with Schnaus won their spots in the final cook-off during a preliminary competition at Sullivan University. The three contestants were given a pantry of items and 30 minutes during the Taste of Derby celebration to create their signature burgers.

Pictured: Celebrity chef judge Bobby Flay and Sullivan University student Kara Schnaus.

Maple Leaf Farms is calling for entries for The 2011 Discover Duck™ Chef Recipe Contest now through August 5, 2011. Open to professional chefs and culinary students, the contest challenges entrants to create up to three original recipes that showcase duck in creative ways. Professional and student-chef recipes will be judged in separate categories, each with their own cash prizes.

“The possibilities are endless with duck. It’s so versatile,” said Maple Leaf Farms Marketing Manager Cindy Turk. “This contest gives chefs a chance to use their culinary creativity. We look forward to seeing a lot of innovative and inspired recipes.”

Recipe entries must include a Maple Leaf Farms duck product and may be submitted for any menu part. The recipes will be judged according to originality, flavor, simplicity (easily sourced ingredients and ease of preparation) and accuracy of the recipe ingredients and method.

Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) will honor Chef Walter Bundy of Lemaire Restaurant, located in the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va., with the prestigious Distinguished Visiting Chef award on Thursday, May 19. As recipient of the award, Bundy will present on-campus cooking demonstrations in addition to a question-and-answer session held exclusively for Sullivan University students.

Designed to connect today’s aspiring culinarians with industry leaders, The Distinguished Visiting Chef Series has been recognizing three top chefs annually since its inception in 1988. Bundy will be the 40th recipient of the award, joining an impressive roster of chefs that includes Bob Kinkead, Emeril Lagasse, Louis Osteen, Rick Tramonto and Marcel Desaulniers.

“We are honored and excited to welcome Chef Bundy to Sullivan University and to present him with the Distinguished Visiting Chef award,” says Tom Hickey, director of the NCHS. “He brings an innovative and modern style to traditional Southern cuisine, and I look forward to our students having the opportunity to experience his approach to cooking firsthand.”