Puerto Rico

CulinaryCorps could not have grown into the organization it is today without the incredible teams of culinary professionals that have poured their hearts, souls and http://www.raybanoutletes.com/ talents into our trips.  Since 2006, our culanthropy sojourns have recruited from a diverse and gifted group of applicants from all over the nation.

Our recruiting efforts for our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico have proven to be no exception.

In fact, it was the most competitive trip to date with nearly 100 applicants applying for only eight available slots.  The pool of potential volunteers was incredibly strong, and some very tough decisions were made.  In the end, we chose a team that incorporated a diverse set of culinary skills as well backgrounds including those who had ties to Puerto Rico or spoke Spanish fluently.

In the lead-up to our departure in one week, we thought we would share brief biographies of those chosen to be part of the Puerto Rico outreach trip.

Meet this amazing crew after the jump.

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CulinaryCorps was deeply honored when approached by The Culinary Trust about partnering with their organization’s efforts to motivate chefs to explore their world through food.  Eager to help fund our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico, The Culinary Trust helped put together a chef-scholarship to assist with our efforts.

We would like to congratulate Thomas Medrow, this year’s oakley sunglasses cheap recipient of the 2010 Culinary Trust Scholarship sponsored by Zwilling-J.A. Henckels.

This scholarship will help fund Thomas and our culanthropic activities on the island of Puerto Rico during our upcoming trip in January.  As this trip’s Assistant Leader and a three-time CulinaryCorps participant, we cannot be more pleased with the decision.

For those of you unfamiliar with The Culinary Trust, please read on:

Founded in 1984 under the name Cooking Advancement Research and Education Foundation (CAREF), it names the late Julia Child as one of its first trustees.  CAREF formed to support research and education in the broad fields of culinary studies, whether from a scientific, literary or practical standpoint.

Recognizing the close affinity of its mission http://www.lependart.com with the goals of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals), in 1994, the two blended to form IACP Foundation.  The next ten years were spent working closely with the IACP to promote culinary research and education, as well as charitable activities such as hunger relief.

By 2004, however, the IACP Foundation saw a need and opportunity to expand its efforts to include the preservation of culinary heritage in our rapidly changing foodways.  A sentiment CulinaryCorps could not agree more with!

The IACP Foundation changed its name to the all-inclusive The Culinary Trust, reflecting its updated mission. The Culinary Trust achieves its mission through scholarships and grants for students and professionals, cookbook preservation and restoration, educational programs and grants for hunger alleviation.

Thank you Culinary Trust for your generosity to CulinaryCorps.  We will do our best to fully Cheap Oakley embrace your motto while in Puerto Rico:

“Celebrating the Past.  Funding the Future.”

A wonderful, in-depth, piece about CulinaryCorps and our work in Puerto Rico on Voluntourism.com: The Supply Chain.

The French Culinary Institute (FCI) is Manhattan’s premiere cooking school in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1984 by Dorothy Cann Hamilton, FCI offers full-time courses in culinary arts, pastry arts, and http://www.veridianinc.com international bread baking. FCI is consistently ranked among the top cooking schools in the country . In April 2006, The French Culinary Institute received “The Award of Excellence for Vocational Cooking School from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

FCI has been a guiding force for CulinaryCorps, helping the organization grow and prosper since its inception in 2006. Many of our chef-alumni have been graduates of FCI including founder, Christine Carroll, Program Coordinator, Thomas Medrow, and Trip Co-Leader, Sandy Tuason.  In addition, FCI’s Director of Career Services, Erik Murnighan, was an instrumental chef-volunteer in New Orleans during our June 2007 trip.

In 2010, FCI has joined an elite team of maglie calcio poco prezzo donors who are helping to sponsor the cost of our trip to Puerto Rico.  We are pleased to announce that The French Culinary Institute is the first culinary school to contribute at a BENEFACTOR level to the organization. These funds will directly contribute to our work on the island.

We are hugely appreciative of the FCI’s generosity of not only funds but of time and mentorship.  Their continued support of CulinaryCorps has contributed directly to the organization’s accomplishments.  We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship as both entities grow and thrive.

Who said video killed the radio star?  We’ve been tremendsouly lucky to get some amazing radio press over the past few weeks:

On Friday, November 20th Christine Carroll, Founding Director, sat down with Terry Trespacio of Martha Stewart Radio for a 20-minute interview about CulinaryCorps.   If you have Sirius Radio, tune into the Whole Living show every day from 11pm-12pm!

On Saturday, December 6th Viviana Acosta-Padial, Program Coordinator, interviewed with Evan Kleiman on her KCRW Good Food show.  It was our second time on the program, and Viviana took special care to explain our Puerto Rico sojourn. To listen to the show, please visit the streaming version here.

A huge thanks to both shows for taking the cheap oakley sunglasses time to spread the word about CulinaryCorps.  In this time of giving, we hope our mission resonated with those who are passionate about food and support change in their world.

We are happy to announce the highly anticipated release of our 2010 application for the upcoming CulinaryCorps trip to Puerto Rico.

As we all know, food has the ability to transform lives and revitalize communities.  Our upcoming CulinaryCorps trip is devoted to bringing this ethos to life.  And in order to recruit the most highly qualified team http://www.oakleyonorder.com/ we can find, in a new model for the organization, this trip is FREE for participants.  Each team member is solely responsible for their transportation to and from San Juan.  We will also be asking all team members to assist with a group  fundraising goal.

For details about the trip including our service project itinerary, please click here.

The application process is now open and will be conducted on a rolling admissions basis until November 23rd, 2009.  All final team decisions will be made on November 25th.

If you have just one week next year to do cheap oakley something good, why not do something you love?

In good food and good service,

The CulinaryCorps Team

In an exciting development for the organization, CulinaryCorps will be expanding their trip footprint to Puerto Rico in 2010. With the help of four-time trip participant and San Juan native, Viviana Acosta-Padial, a trip will be launched from January 31 – February 7, 2010.  For trip details, please click here.

The island nation of Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies and cuisines in the Caribbean region. However, sustainable economic development remains a challenge for this United States Commonwealth.  Currently, the average median household income is less than half of Mississippi, the poorest state in the USA, and a majority of Puerto Rican citizens live under the poverty line set by the cheap oakley American government. Puerto Rico receives some US federal aid but does not get equal coverage or qualify for most welfare programs. In 2007, the US halted its funding to clinics serving HIV/AIDS patients, a devastating blow for a country with over double the rate of AIDS than in America. However, Puerto Rico’s network of dynamic non-profits have helped reduce mortality, increase literacy, improve medical services, raise life expectancy and increase quality of life for all citizens including the domestically abused and those afflicted with long-term illness.  CulinaryCorps is honored and privileged to help further the work of these admirable organizations.

Equally as important to the work that is keeping the country healthy is the cuisine that keeps the country happy. With roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Spain/Europe, the Amerindian Taínos (pre-Colombian indigenous inhabitants), and the African continent, the mingling of flavors and ingredients passed from generation to generation have resulted in an incredible food culture unique to the island.  Puerto Ricans are fiercely proud of their cuisine but unfortunately, US influence and island industrialization have eroded the viability of agriculture, and Puerto Rico is now largely dependent on food imports.  With this shift, practice and preservation of traditional http://www.oakleyonorder.com/ cooking techniques, products and recipes is quickly fading.  Indeed, as these native foodways are exchanged for convenience foods, instances of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease have increased among the young.   Fortunately, Puerto Rico is beginning to recognize this trend and are taking first steps to quell the backslide.

CulinaryCorps is excited to be a small part of this forward progress, and upon our return home, is keen to be voice boxes for both the plight and the progress of this cheap oakley sunglasses culturally rich country.