LDNY 2009 Classic Scholarship Winners, celebrating at the Scholarship
Reception chaired by Dames Alison Awerbuch and Abigail Kirsch and held
at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, July 27, 2009.

 LDNY AWARDS TWENTY CULINARY SCHOLARSHIPS ON JULY 27, 2009

* OUR 2 MAKE A DIFFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, made possible from proceeds from a major Gala Benefit, Abbondanza!, which honored Dame Lidia Bastianich in 2007

Recipient of a $20,000 Make Difference LDNY Scholarship

Veronica Rivera

Veronica Rivera enters her freshman year at the New York City College of Technology (CUNY) to pursue her Bachelor of Professional Studies. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Veronica developed her interest in cooking on her family farm, where her family grew and harvested produce and raised livestock. Veronica´s number-one choice of college in NYC Tech, where she plans to earn her BA, then work her way up and keep on going--never stopping, until she reaches the top. This $20,000 Make a Difference LDNY Scholarship is helping her to make these dreams possible.

Recipient of a $20,000 Make Difference LDNY Scholarship

Amanda Coward

A junior honor student at the Culinary Institute of America, Amanda Coward is pursing her CIA Bachelor of Professional Studies, where she holds a cumulative 3.93 GPA. After attending Colgate University for two years, she entered the CIA to pursue her passion in both hospitality management and wine studies. Amanda has already received many awards and recognitions, including: Student Government Association Executive Vice President, member of Eta Sigma Delta (3.5 GPA or higher), the recipient of the High Impact Leader Scholarship and the recipient of the Epicurean Scholarship. She has also worked as a wine and beverage tutor, a math and writing tutor and a resident assistant at the CIA.

* OUR 18 CLASSIC SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, supported by our on-going Les Dames Scholarship Program, honoring talented, passionate women who are pursuing careers in the food, fine beverage and hospitality industries
 

Nadia Al-Shafei

Recipient of the $1,500 LDNY Scholarship

Nadia Al-Shafei is pursuing a Master´s in Nutrition Science at CUNY Brooklyn. She has worked with a gastroenterology practice, counseling patients, providing them with healthful meal plans and encouraging positive lifestyle changes. She hopes to continue her education and to research ways in which nutrition can be used to prevent gastrointestinal disease.

Christine Baggetta

Recipient of the $1,500 International Wine Center In-Kind Scholarship

As Head Sommelier at Eleven Madison Park, Chris Baggetta has already achieved a level of success that many in her field would envy. Beginning her career with the Union Square Hospitality Group as a server at the cafes at MoMA, she advanced to Beverage Director. In her current role, she is also director of a company-wide wine education program. Ultimately she plans to travel to various winemaking regions, visiting vintners and seeking out interesting and little-known wines.

Noelle Barille

Recipient of the $1,000 Mary Lyons Scholarship

This scholarship is named for Mary Lyons, an early member of the New York Chapter, an unusual woman much ahead of her time, who broke the glass ceiling in the public relations business. As befits a member of our society, Mary was an ardent Francophile and represented Foods of France for the greater part of her career.

After 15 years as a technology sales executive, Noelle Barille decided it was time for a change. She will graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in November 2009 and sees her mission as promoting local and sustainable whole foods, and building connection and community through cooking. She is working on a business plan for a small farm-to-table restaurant.

Cassie Berkowitz

Recipient of the $2,500 ICE Baking & Pastry Arts In-Kind Scholarship
 

Cassie Berkowitz defines herself as a cake artist. Transferring from the University of Michigan to NYU´s food studies program was, she says, the best decision she ever made. Cassie has already become a partner in a small catering company, Green Beans, where she specializes in creating beautiful cakes while she continues to pursue a diploma in Pastry and Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Erin Carr

Recipient of the $2,000 Abigail Kirsch Scholarship

Erin Carr has a passion for teaching, which was nurtured at the Dorothy Lane Market´s School of Cooking in Dayton, Ohio. She will graduate from the Culinary Institute of America this fall. After an exemplary externship at Eleven Madison Park, she was offered a position as a line cook. However, Erin has decided she will return to the CIA as a teaching assistant, sharing her knowledge and experience with a new class of students.

Lauren Deitsch

Recipient of the $5,000 CIA In-Kind Scholarship

Currently pursuing her studies in Baking and Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, Lauren Deitsch plans to combine travel and work, gaining as much experience working for as wide a variety of chefs, bakeries, and restaurants as possible, and gathering experience both as a culinary artist and a business woman before opening a bakery of her own.

Aria Dorsey

Recipient of the $2,000 Wendy Burrell-Mintzer Scholarship

Wendy Burrell Mintzer, for whom this scholarship is named, was a member of Les Dames who was passionate about education and excellence. Her own public relations career exemplified both virtues. Both Wendy – a Wellesley graduate, and her husband Hardie – a Syracuse graduate, believed strongly in the need to encourage and nurture the generations that succeed us.

Aria Dorsey is attending the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. The hospitality industry seems to be the right place for a young woman who is so service oriented, and devotes much of her time to community service and raising money for charity. Her ambition is to own a small inn and restaurant; the restaurant would be named in memory of her younger sister, Nia.

Molly Gilbert

Recipient of the $5,000 FCI In-Kind Scholarship

Molly Gilbert began her work life at a healthcare consulting firm, but she poured her heart and soul into her baking, much to the delight of her co-workers. Realizing that she could support herself by following her bliss, she drafted a business plan for a custom bar cookie business, enrolled at the French Culinary Institute and started a food blog. After graduation she hopes to make her business plan a reality.

Eve Kan

Recipient of the $5,000 CIA In-Kind Scholarship

Eve Kan´s resume combines business and culinary skills; her first job, at 13, was in food service. She is developing a business plan for a B&B to be located in South Florida, emphasizing local and slow food, and garden-to-table cooking. After graduation from the CIA, she will be looking for a position in a large hotel or resort.

Jill Keller

Recipient of the $1,500 LDNY Scholarship

Jill Keller juggles work, motherhood and school in pursuit of her goals of becoming a chef and making a difference. A student at New York Tech, she wants to use her skills in the culinary arts to educate children and young adults about food and nutrition. As a camp chef, her food got stellar reviews from the campers, including one 10-year-old boy who wrote: "Everyone knows camp food stinks, but here it's gotten so good, I promise."

Erin Laverty

Recipient of the $2,000 Bon Appetit-Zack Hanle Scholarship

Zack Hanle was a founding member of the New York Chapter of Les Dames. A disciplined and inspired writer and editor, Zack was, for many years, associated with Bon Appetit. We are particularly honored that this scholarship has been given personally by Barbara Fairchild, Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appetit Magazine, in memory of Zack.

People say that Erin Laverty´s eyes light up when she talks about food and wine. She´s also a passionate traveler who plans her trips around the culinary and wine offerings available. Having completed her Master´s in Food Studies at NYU, she´s pursuing her studies at the International Wine Center while she writes and edits on a freelance basis.

Scarlett Lindeman

Recipient of the $4,500 Nikki Singer Sheets Scholarship

Nikki Singer Sheets was a member of Les Dames taken from us much too soon. Nikki´s physical beauty was surpassed only by that of her mind and spirit. Her distinguished public relations career led her to work as Senior Vice President with Marvin Shanken in founding the renowned Wine Spectator Magazine. The society´s most prestigious award is named in her honor.

Scarlett Lindeman is a cook, writer and scholar with a multi-disciplinary interest in food, wine and nutrition and the historical, cultural, economic and political framework for understanding them. She is active in her local CSA, and wants to find ways to get healthful food to lower-income neighborhoods. On graduation from NYU, she hopes to work toward a Ph.D. and write a book.

Ivonne Nill

Recipient of the $1,000 Barbetta Restaurant Scholarship

An International Wine Center student, Ivonne Nill is a food scientist who developed candy products for a multinational corporation, until her passion for wine took her in a different direction. Now a full-time salesperson at a New Jersey wine store, she loves sharing her love of wine and her growing knowledge with customers old and new. Her pleasure for teaching resulted in a budding wine education program at the store, which she hopes to build into a more formal program.

Lucy A. Primus

Recipient of the $1,500 Cornerstone Communications Wine and Hospitality Scholarship

Lucy Primus came to the US from Trinidad in 2001. She began her career at the Millennium Broadway Hotel where her last position was as In-Room Dining Coordinator. A working parent with three children, she is enrolled at NYC Tech, pursuing her BA in Hospitality Management. She wants to work in sales and marketing, and ultimately own and manage a bed and breakfast incorporating a small fusion restaurant.

Mia Rappoport

Recipient of the $5,000 FCI In-Kind Scholarship

Growing up in Northern California, Mia Rappaport´s interest in food and wine was fueled by her travels abroad. She wants to combine her expertise in marketing and public relations with the professional training she will receive at the French Culinary Institute to create restaurants that combine culinary innovation with the best of design, ambience, and décor.

Whitney Stewart

Recipient of the $2,500 Melanie Young Entrepreneur Scholarship

A self-taught cook, Whitney Stewart has been cooking professionally for 11 years. Her culinary experiences have taken her from Paris to Antigua to Aspen to Westchester County. She is currently a freelance food stylist and a personal chef, cooking for families with special needs, including food allergies, autism, celiac disease and specific nutritional issues. She is enrolled at the French Culinary Institute, where she is honing her skills, hoping to combine traditional culinary arts with organic, locally grown foods.

Annie Sung

Recipient of the $5,000 FCI In-Kind Scholarship

Trained as a graphic designer with a BFA from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, Annie Sung increasingly found her inspiration in front of a mixer rather than a computer, applying her skills to the plate rather than paper. Enrolled in the Classic Pastry Arts program at FCI, she works to improve her creative and technical culinary skills in anticipation of opening a dessert bar or custom cake shop.

Mariya Yufest

Recipient of the $2,500 ICE Culinary Arts In-Kind Scholarship

Ask someone who knows Mariya Yufest and they will mention her passion for food. Mariya, who is enrolled at ICE, wants not only to be a chef, but a culinary arts instructor. In addition to her work as a private chef and caterer, she volunteers for the City Harvest Help Teach Cooking and Nutrition to New Yorkers program, the Very Special Arts Festival, and is a Big Sister in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters program.