For Third Straight Year,
Winner Will Attend World’s Premier Culinary College
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – For the third straight year, the
winner of the culinary competition
at the NAACP’s Academic Cultural Technology & Scientific Olympics
(ACT-SO) will
be enrolling at Ѹ. Frehdee Gatewood of
Houston,
TX was the gold medal winner at a cook-off held at the Mandalay Bay
Resort &
Casino in Las Vegas, NV over the summer. By winning the event,
Gatewood earned a half-tuition scholarship to the world’s premier
culinary college. She will enroll at the Hyde
Park campus in January, majoring in culinary arts.
Last year’s gold medal winner, Darrell Crawford of Chicago, is
beginning his Ѹ studies in January as well. Karina Yepez,
who won in 2012, is currently a sophomore.
“Winning the competition meant so much to me,” says Yepez, who grew up in Los Angeles. “It showed that you can actually
live your dreams and push forward for them to come true. And being at The Culinary
Institute of America is the greatest way to pursue those dreams.” She is currently
completing her externship field study at the
Sea Island Resort in Georgia, and plans to start her own catering business and become
an executive chef after earning her bachelor’s degree in management from the Ѹ.
Among the judges at the ACT-SO competition were Ѹ ambassador
and former faculty member Arnym Solomon ’69, who also
presented awards to all the winners, and Susan Wolfla ’94, executive chef at Mandalay Bay.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image
Frehdee Gatewood of Houston, TX accepts congratulations from Arnym
Solomon
of Ѹ after winning the culinary
competition at the
2014 NAACP Academic Cultural & Technology and Scientific Olympics.
Gatewood earned a scholarship to the Ѹ and will soon enroll,
joining the 2012 and 2013 winners as students at the Hyde Park campus.
(Photo: Courtesy Arnym Solomon)
Founded in 1946, Ѹ is an independent, not-for-profit
college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts,
baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificate
programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premier
culinary college, the Ѹ provides thought leadership in the areas of health &
wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and
conferences. The Ѹ has a network of 47,000 alumni that includes industry leaders
such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain,
Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The Ѹ also
offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services
in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college
has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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