Culinary Scholarships

Tweet

Culinary arts are undisputedly the most enviable courses any food enthusiast would love to take. However, to make it in this highly competitive and demanding profession, one would have to enroll in the best culinary colleges. But as we all know, these colleges never cheap. Here is where the need to apply for grants and scholarships come in. So just in case you are looking for the best culinary scholarships to help finance your studies, here are a few programs worth considering:

W. Price Jr. Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded by the Texas Restaurant Association Awards to a student who has shown immense passion for the food service industry. There being two W. Price Jr. Memorial scholarships, two $5,000 scholarships are awarded to students attending a four year university and the other two $2,000 scholarships to students in two year colleges. To qualify, one has to be a Texas resident, should be enrolled in a foodservice learning institution and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and major GPA of 3.0. However, the university/college one is pursuing their studies doesn’t necessarily have to be in Texas. The deadline for applying for these culinary scholarships is usually in February 1.

CANFIT Program Scholarships

The program is designed to help graduate and undergraduate students who have been enrolled or are pursuing culinary arts or nutrition in any of the accredited California state colleges. To be eligible, the applicant has to be of African American, Asian American, American Indian, Hispanic, Alaska Native or Pacific Islander origin. In addition, one has to have accumulative GPA of not less than 3.0 if s/he is a graduate and 2.5 for undergraduate applicants. Although the scholarship money being awarded to the student varies, it is all mailed to one’s educational institution so as to pay for their tuition and other fees. The deadline for applying is March 31.

CRAEF Scholarship Program

The CRAEF Scholarship Program is run by the California Restaurant Association Education Foundation (CRAEF). It awards initial $2,500 scholarship money to talented and eager undergraduate students and high school seniors. The students in question should either be pursuing or should have a dream of pursuing higher education in food service, restaurant or hospitality industry. To be considered, one has to be a permanent US resident or US citizen and a resident of California. Also, their cumulative GPA shouldn’t be less than 2.75. The application deadline is on May 16.

AAC (American Academy of Chefs) Culinary Scholarship

These scholarships are offered to high school seniors, undergraduates or chefs who have shown a desire to further their education or become certified. The numbers of scholarships offered are influenced by the availability of private and institutional funds. Usually, the scholarship money is $2,500. To qualify for these scholarships, one has to have a 2.5 GPA, should be majoring in pastry or culinary arts and has to have a dream of one day becoming a pastry chef or chef. All applications should be submitted not later than March 31.

NRAEF/GRI Giacomo Bologna Scholarships

To qualify for this scholarship, the applicant has to demonstrate a deep interest in Italian viticulture. This is because a part of the scholarship is to travel to Italy and participate in a wide array of restaurant and culinary tours and classes including cooking and wine making. Each of the students further gets a $2,500 funding to help in financing their education. Applications close on February 26.

CIA (Culinary Institute of America) Cream of the Crop Scholarship

This scholarship was set up to assist students with outstanding leadership skills, academic qualifications and who aspire to become successful culinarians. Bachelor degree students get $20,000 while associate degree get $10,000; $5,000 every year. To be considered, one has to have a 3.5 GPA. Due to the variance in scholarships, application deadlines tend to vary.