Atlantic Cape’s Academy of Culinary Arts Holds Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Food & Wine Scholarship Fundraising Reception

MAYS LANDING — Atlantic Cape Community College’s Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA), in partnership with the Atlantic City Bailliage of Chaine des Rotisseurs, hosted the 24th Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Food & Wine Scholarship Reception on November 16 at Careme’s, the student-run gourmet restaurant on the Mays Landing campus. The event awarded four scholarships to culinary and hospitality students, and recognized ACA alum and Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Executive Chef Deb Pellegrino.

For 24 years now, the Atlantic City Bailliage of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, which was founded in 1981, has partnered with the ACA to help raise funds in support of student scholarships. Since this event’s inception, a total of $117,000 has been raised.

On this night, local entrepreneur, restaurateur and developer Mark Colazzo, who owns The Iron Room restaurant and bar in Atlantic City, announced that the recipients of this year’s four, $500 student scholarships were awarded to Grace Carpenter, Culinary/Baking & Pastry; Amy Jimenez, Culinary/Baking & Pastry; Lola Sarni, Culinary; and Barul Alan Ruhin, Hospitality.

Founded in 1248 in Paris, France, Chaine des Rotisseurs still stands today as the oldest Gastronomic Society in the world. It has offered scholarships and events for chefs and sommeliers across the world. It currently has a presence in more than 80 countries worldwide on five continents and nearly 25,000 professional and amateur members.

“For centuries, the Chaine des Rotisseurs has preserved the joys of food, camaraderie and the pleasures of the table,” said Joseph Sheridan, Director of the ACA and Hospitality Management. “It is an amazing organization and we are blessed to have them helping our students for so many years now.”

The evening began with a display of various wines and hors d'oeuvres, including Heirloom Tomato Pizza al Taglio and Arancini with Mozzarella & Arrabbiata, on the first floor of M Building. For dinner, the guests made their way upstairs to kitchens five, seven and eight where they were treated to an elaborate selection of entrees, including House-Cured Carved Ham, Cranberry-Glazed Roast Duck Breast and Tuna Nicoise; numerous sides from Petite Quiche to Pork & Salmon Rillettes; salads and more. Afterwards, an exquisite dessert station, featuring miniature blueberry and pecan pies, fruit tarts and miniature cream puffs to coffee, tea and biscotti, was offered inside kitchen four.

All entrees, sides, salads and desserts were created and served to the evening’s guests by the students of the ACA.

Following the announcement of the scholarship recipients, a special dedication was made as Kitchen 4 was dedicated to Chef Pellegrino, who graduated from the ACA in 1992 and is currently the first female Executive Chef Director at Borgata, which sponsored the naming of the kitchen through the Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation.

“I am so humbled and honored to have this. It’s just very memorable to me because the culinary here at Atlantic Cape holds a dear spot in my heart having graduated from here,” Pellegrino said. “I am most proud of the team that I am with now for recognizing what I can do. It’s the best that I have been and I am just so happy to be there. And now I am able to give back to this school by hiring these students to come work with us (at Borgata).”

Dr. Denise Coulter, Dean of Liberal Studies and Hospitality Management, announced that Atlantic Cape has entered into a partnership with the Viticulture Enology Science & Technology Alliance (VESTA) to provide training to students interested in the grape and wine industry. VESTA is a National Science Foundation funded partnership between the Missouri State University system and colleges, universities, vineyards and wineries across the country.

“Atlantic Cape is partnering with VESTA to create certificates and degrees for students locally who are interested in this field,” said Dr. Coulter. “We are really excited for this partnership.”

View a photo gallery of this event on Flickr.

Visit atlanticcape.edu/aca for more information on Atlantic Cape’s Academy of Culinary Arts. 

About Atlantic Cape Community College

Atlantic Cape is a comprehensive two-year community college serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. The college offers over 40 career, transfer and workforce development programs to more than 8,000 students annually at three campuses in New Jersey: Atlantic City, Cape May Court House and Mays Landing.