Use Thanksgiving Break to Indulge in Culinary Skills Scholarships
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and if you're like most Americans, you'll be focused on consuming large amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie before falling into a deep food coma. But when the Black Friday sales roll around the next day, your biggest savings will come from staying home and searching for scholarships, not buying electronics at 6 a.m.
To help you out, The Scholarship Coach is bringing you food-related scholarships in honor of Thanksgiving, from culinary awards to fast food industry financial aid. If you're considering turning your passion for food into a career in the culinary arts, there are many scholarships available to assist you.
[Check out additional scholarships for culinary students.]
The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation, with the support of the American Academy of Chefs, offers scholarships to high school students, current college students and professional chefs looking to further their education or become certified.
If you're in high school and maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and have been accepted into an accredited college with a declared culinary or pastry arts major, submit an application by March 31 to be considered for one of several scholarships awarded yearly. If you're already in college, fill out the application for current college students and submit by May 1 or Sept. 1.
Women interested in pastry or culinary arts should turn to Les Dames d'Escoffier International, an invitational organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries with a mission of education and philanthropy. Many of the organization's chapters across the U.S. and Canada raise funds and award scholarships, and plenty of scholarship recipients go on to illustrious careers in food, wine and hospitality.
To apply for a scholarship, you must go directly to your local chapter for criteria and eligibility requirements.
[Learn about scholarships for nutrition studies.]
If you're more interested in desserts than turkey, you may be considering a career as a pastry chef. The French Pastry School of City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College is a premier international institution of pastry arts education, and it offers generous scholarships to its students each year through the For the Love of Chocolate Foundation.
You can find full application instructions on the foundation's website, and you must be accepted into the program to be eligible.
For those of you who aren't necessarily considering a career in the culinary arts but are still looking for scholarships, check out the scholarship programs offered by some of your favorite fast food restaurants.
Ronald McDonald House Charities offers scholarships for students across the U.S. Four major scholarship programs provide opportunities to students of all backgrounds, including those with Asian-Pacific, African-American, Black Caribbean or Hispanic or Latino heritage.
These scholarships are open to high school seniors who complete the online application by Jan. 20. Most local chapters award a minimum of $1,000 to selected recipients. Check out the program website to see if your local chapter participates in these rewarding scholarships.
[Get more information on how to pay for college.]
The Burger King Scholars program offers scholarships to high school seniors and employees of their restaurants. For the general student program, applications are reviewed based on the applicant's academic record and participation in school and community activities.
Awards range from $5,000 to the James W. McLamore Whopper scholarship of $50,000. Applications are fairly simple and will be accepted until Dec. 15, or until 50,000 applications are collected.
Many restaurants including Taco Bell, KFC and Chick-fil-A offer generous scholarships to part-time employees seeking secondary education. If you work in the food industry, check if your part-time job can score you cash for college.
While you are gobbling up the food you love during this holiday season, be sure to take advantage of these and other great scholarships that can turn your passion into postsecondary success.
Sarah Ober interned at Scholarship America in 2014. She attends the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., where she majors in communication and minors in psychology. She is a current scholarship recipient.
