The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has announced the recipients of the 2014 Augies leadership awards. This year's theme is "The Power of Food." The awards will be presented at a gala dinner on Thursday, April 24 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Funds raised through ticket sales and a silent auction go towards scholarships for CIA students.
Created in honor of famed French chef Auguste Escoffier, the Augie Awards celebrate success and achievement of the foodservice industry's best chefs, visionaries, and entrepreneurs. Augie recipients exemplify a tradition of innovation and leadership. The life's work of each of this year's honorees embodies the thought-leadership pillars that drive the college's educational direction.
The 2014 recipients are:
- Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef/owner of Jean-Georges Restaurants for Professional Excellence and Innovation.
- Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, Inc. for Health and Wellness.
- Masaharu Morimoto, chef/owner of Morimoto Restaurants for World Cuisines and Cultures.
- Leo Oosterveer, CEO of Unilever Food Solutions for Sustainability and Food Ethics.
Throughout the evening, the audience of 600 foodservice business leaders, celebrated chefs, culinary entrepreneurs, and CIA supporters from all sectors will hear more about the power of food from the Augie recipients and the more than two dozen CIA students who will assist during the event. Dr. Tim Ryan, president of the CIA, already began the conversation with his remark, "As flavor experts, innovators, researchers, and socially responsible culinarians, today's chefs are using traditional methods and ultra-modern techniques to harness the power of food in order to make the world a healthier, more interconnected place."
