Matching grant scholarships available.

April 23, 2012(Atlanta, GA) Chef Tech Academy has launched its summer culinary camp. Beginning June 4, Chef Tech Academy will offer four weekly sessions for children in the following age groups:  5-10, 11-14, and 15-17.  Campers may attend one, two, three, or all four sessions. Located at Emory University, the camp will run in association with the Emory University Summer Camp Programs and is offered through the Office of Emory Conferences. 

During the process of planning and promotions of this new camp, Chef Sidney Corum, founder and CEO of Chef Tech Academy, realized the need to offer stipends or bursary opportunities for some special students who might be in need of scholarships funds. “Because of my position and where I came from as child, I knew we had to do something to provide a chance for girls and boys, who might need a little financial help, to attend Chef Tech Academy,” said Corum.  The camp will provide scholarships to children at CHRIS Kids and Ben Franklin Academy.  An aggressive outreach program is currently underway to make known the fact that a matching scholarship program has been designed and is being implemented through churches and non-profit organizations. 

Children and young people who are enrolled at Chef Tech Academy will work with a ServSafe [National Restaurant Association] certified chef.  Students will prepare dishes ranging from salad preparation to entrees and desserts; and will learn important information about food safety, kitchen skills, and food science.  While the program provides a fun and stimulating environment for summer learning, it also features a curriculum that incorporates math, science, and technology, identifying the importance of these core learning skills and their direct relationship to food and nutrition as well as practical applications in the kitchen.

Campers will take trips to local culinary arts schools, working farms such as Serenbe, and food distribution sites like the DeKalb and Georgia Farmers Markets. They will experience sustainable farming, community gardens and organic farming trends. 

All Chef Tech campers will be involved in a daily physical activity to promote a healthy understanding of physical and nutritional health, and will have access to the Emory University Student Activity and Academic Center (www.saac.emory.edu)  and the resources of the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center.

Enrollment is limited to 100 students per week.  Pricing per camper ranges from $325 to $375 per week dependent on when registration is confirmed.  Discounts for multiple family campers and multiple weeks are available.

Please visit www.ChefTechAcademy.com for additional information about the daily schedule, principal chefs, registration details and sample recipes.  To speak with someone about the matching scholarship opportunities, please call 404-505-8188.

“For a multitude of reasons, this is the most exciting venture I’ve ever been involved with in my career,” said Corum.  “My goal is to spark the children’s understanding of how much of a role the critical elements:  math, science, technology and communication skills play in their development as chefs and leaders in our communities.   I’m also extremely passionate about training a new generation of chefs to battle the issues of obesity and poor nutrition that plague youth throughout our country today.” 

About Sidney Corum

Corum has more than three decades of experience in the food and service industry.  In 2002, he started Chef Ago Go, a catering business which became very successful due to his ability to understand his clients’ wants and needs.  Under Corum’s leadership, Chef Ago Go was the winner of the 2004 Exemplary Service Award from the inaugural class of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.  In 2004, at the suggestion of a former Chi Phi fraternity brother and Emory MBA/MD graduate student, Greek Life Services began. Corum saw a need for specialized services for fraternities and sororities at Emory University and began meal services in seven fraternity houses on campus.