Jennifer Shidler of Greenwood Village was recently named the grand prize winner of the New York-based Center for Kosher Culinary Arts (CKCA) winter scholarship contest.
Shidler, who was able to use her scholarship to begin the winter professional program in baking and pastry arts, is a summer, 2009, graduate of CKCAs professional program in culinary arts.
She is a 2003 graduate Herzl-RMHA and the daughter of Michael and Ann Shidler.
Shidler plans a career in the pastry arts, and is already hard at work at CKCA in Flatbush, Brooklyn, learning the techniques and strategies necessary to develop her own recipes as a pastry chef.
I think it is wonderful that our scholarship winner is a graduate of our pro culinary program, said Jesse Blonder, director of the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts.
This scholarship allows our students to continue their studies and will give them more training and skills to be able to face a very competitive pastry work force.
CKCA is the only culinary school in the US that teaches classic French culinary techniques in a glatt kosher environment.
The goal of the program in baking and pastry is to orient the student to the professional kosher food service environment and teach how to operate in it in a safe, efficient and skillful manner.
The 150-hour program seeks to provide the student with a theoretical and practical foundation in professional baking practices, and to facilitate the students transition to the working world by providing career counseling and apprenticeship.
Lectures on the kosher bakeshop are also offered from industry professionals.
Both a part-time and a full-time program have been offered concurrently in culinary arts for almost two years, and this is the second semester that baking and pastry have been offered.
The winter scholarship contest was offered to anyone associated with CKCA.
Anyone interested in winning the scholarship was asked to have friends or associates nominate them, allowing current and future students to share their reasons for attending culinary school with their friends and associates.
Shidler received the highest number of nominations, followed by runner-ups Yael Colman of Far Rockaway, NY, and Miryam Heisler of Minneapolis.
One competitive scholarship is offered four times a year.
Information: (718) 758-1339.
