$25,000 Scholarship Supports High Achieving Students in the University’s College of Culinary Arts
As one of three areas of focus – to create scholarship opportunities for students studying culinary arts – the Snapchef Foundation has established a $25,000 scholarship fund for high achieving students at Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts.
Entering its third year since its founding, the fund awards $5,000 annually to two students who have financial need and who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency, leadership and professionalism.
These students, as well as other students at the university’s College of Culinary Arts, have the opportunity to participate in Snapchef’s unique earn and learn employment program to gain experience and build their résumés. Unlike traditional internships, where students work at one establishment for an entire term, Snapchef offers students the ability to rotate through a variety of food service establishments, ranging from restaurants to hospitals, universities, catering companies, sports stadiums, hotels and more. This allows them to experience all facets of the industry, decide which segment they prefer and gain valuable experience in the process.
Todd Snopkowski, found and CEO of Snapchef, is a firm believer in the power of education coupled with industry experience. “My wife Daniella and I founded the Snapchef Foundation as a way to help aspiring chefs gain the education, skills and industry experience to become leaders in their chosen field,” he says. “We’re proud to have established this scholarship and even more proud to support these talented and accomplished students in their career endeavor.”
Lily Eriksson ’18, is a 2017 Snapchef Scholar from Florida, New York. Her career goal is to work for a hotel in the areas of foodservice management and catering. She says: “The Snapchef scholarship makes me feel wanted, able and motivated to work hard and be successful.”
Elizabeth Adkins ’19, is also a 2017 Snapchef Scholar from Limington, ME. Although she still has 3 terms until graduation, she has already landed a position at the Hilton Hotel in Providence. “Financial aid is extremely important to me,” she says. “Without it, I wouldn’t be able to complete my degree in time. I truly appreciate every dollar put towards my education.”
About Snapchef
Snapchef is a chef-owned and operated company specializing in temporary and permanent culinary staff placement. Clients include major universities, hospitals, five-star hotels, sports arenas, restaurants, caterers and corporate cafeterias. Daniela and Todd Snopkowski, owners of Snapchef, were awarded the 2015 Small Business Person of the Year Award for Massachusetts by the SBA in recognition of its positive impact on the small business sector and its workforce development efforts in Massachusetts.
About the Snapchef Foundation
The Snapchef Foundation is dedicated to positive social impact in the regions in which Snapchef operates by celebrating food as art and personal expression, sustenance, workforce development and community building, through three primary areas of focus:
- developing unique public and private community partnerships that provide culinary training at no cost for individuals interested in launching a foodservice career
- alleviating hunger by providing meals for local community members
- creating and supporting foodservice education initiatives and scholarship opportunities for students at vocational technical schools, community colleges and universities
The 501c3 foundation was established in July, 2015 by Snapchef founder and CEO Todd Snopkowski and his wife Daniela, along with the help and support of WACS Master Chef and Johnson & Wales University Dean Emeritus Karl Guggenmos.