The Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) are accepting applications for the 2014 CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award. This is the first national award to recognize secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts and baking/pastry programs for their commitment to teaching and practicing sustainability. Additionally, the winning program will receive a $1,000 cash prize plus complimentary registration to the 10th Annual CAFÉ Leadership Conference, June 19–21, in Salt Lake City.
All secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts and baking/pastry programs in the United States, whether diploma- or degree-granting, are eligible. Selection criteria are based on the integration of sustainability into educational programs and operations.
“Kendall has dedicated itself to sustainability in its curriculum and campus operations since 2005, and the value we’ve reaped from sharing our knowledge with other educators and learning from them has been extremely gratifying,” says Christopher Koetke, vice president of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts. “By working with us to build this body of knowledge, foodservice educators throughout the United States now have many tools with which to impact the future of our industry and our world through our students.”
According to Mary Petersen, founder and president of CAFÉ, the winning program will be selected for its level of innovation; perceived impact on students’ understanding of sustainability practices and their importance; and the ease with which elements of the program can be implemented in other programs nationwide.
Last year’s award went to Cascade Culinary Institute (CCI) at Central Oregon Community College, not only for its Sustainable Food Systems for Culinary Arts Certificate that delivers instruction directly relating to the theoretical aspects of sustainability within the restaurant industry and beyond, but also for successful management of day-to-day operations including composting, recycling and use of green chemicals for ware washing. Runner-up for the 2013 award was Metro Tech High School in Phoenix, which operates Sustainable Table Café, a public eatery featuring local, sustainable foods prepared by culinary-arts students.
