The second edition of the Olesay/C-CAP Internship Scholarship will train seven young chefs in Spanish gastronomy in the city of Madrid, Spain. This year, the program also aims to promote Madrid as a foodie destination.
Alabaster, Álbora, A’Barra, Club Allard, Coque, Santceloni and Gaytán are the seven restaurants participating in this year’s edition. Six of the restaurants are Michelin-starred restaurants. The official presentation of the program was held at Kitchen Club, Madrid, on February 6.
The scholarship covers all travel, housing, and health insurance during the students’ stay in Spain, from the beginning of April through the end of June. The three-month internship program will wrap up with a whirlwind tour of the region of Madrid, comprised of visits to agri-food producers, markets, restaurants, and wineries.
This is the second year that Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) and Olesay, a premier organization that promotes global education and international learning through internships, partner together. The year 2017 marks a significant increase in the number of scholarships awarded, from two to seven, thanks to the support of Madrid Region Tourism Association.
“We really wanted to give our students the opportunity to live in in a premier destination and Madrid has become an extraordinary innovative city in gastronomy,” says Carmen Flores, Olesay director. “We are very excited to team up with Madrid Tourism Association this year to offer more scholarships to C-CAP alumni.”
Carlos Chaguaceda, director general of tourism in Madrid Region, says, “This initiative seeks the internationalization of Spanish gastronomy in the United States through training scholarships. We recognize that 23 percent of the tourists who come to the Madrid region do it for gastronomic reasons, because there are 19 restaurants with Michelin stars in the region.”
On February 28, Huertas, the East Village restaurant recognized for the wonderful cuisine of Spain by the New York Times, which awarded it two stars, will host the scholarships presentation to announce the incredible life-changing experiences that C-CAP alumni will have due to this partnership. The program will also include a discussion with Chef Jonah Miller and Karen Stabiner, author of Generation Chef, and the awards presentation by Carlos Chaguaceda, Director General Tourism and Carmen Flores, Olesay Director.
One week later, on March 8, Chef Mario Sandoval of Coque, a Michelin two-star restaurant in Madrid, and Carmen Flores will join C-CAP’s new President Karen Brosius, nearly 40 chefs, and over 800 guests to honor Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern, Untitled, and Studio Café at the Whitney Museum of American Art, at the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Annual Tasting Benefit at Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty. Chef Anthony will receive the C-CAP Honors Award, an award granted to individuals within the culinary industry for exceptional leadership and achievements. Funds raised at the event will support the national not-for-profit’s mission of providing job training, internships, competitions for culinary scholarships, college advising, college and career opportunities, lifetime career support, teacher training and curriculum enrichment in the culinary arts for disadvantaged youth.
