Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern, Untitled, and Studio Café at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will be honored at the annual Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) culinary event on Wednesday, March 8, from 5:45-9:00 p.m. at Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty. 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 to at-risk youth.
The event features fabulous culinary tastings prepared by Michael Anthony and over 30 of the city’s finest chefs, including Chef Chair and C-CAP Board Co-Chair Marcus Samuelsson; Michelin Star Chefs Michael Anthony, Daniel Boulud, Fredrik Berselius, Daniel Eddy, Markus Glocker, Alfred Portale, and Michael White; as well as C-CAP alumni Cesar Gutierrez of Café Boulud, Betty Peña of Pig and Khao, Kelvin Fernandez of Strand Bistro, Swainson Brown of The Writing Room, and Yvan Lemoine of Union Fare. A full list of the renowned chefs and restaurants is given below. Assisting the chefs will be more than 60 New York City C-CAP high school students and alumni, eager to put their mark on the culinary world.
The Chair for this year’s event is Mark Weiss, Chief Investment Officer of RFR Holding LLC and C-CAP’s Board of Directors Co-Chair. WCBS-TV News Anchorman Maurice DuBois will be the Master of Ceremonies. The festivities will also include an auction with once-in-a-lifetime culinary, culture, and travel packages.
“We are thrilled to honor Michael Anthony for his remarkable achievements and contributions to the industry and for his commitment to culinary innovation,” says Mark Weiss. “The walk-around tasting event raises funds to support C-CAP’s mission to transform lives of underserved youth who are interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Richard Grausman, C-CAP’s Founder & Chairman Emeritus launched C-CAP in 1990 to teach French cooking in 12 New York City public schools. We now have thousands of C-CAP alumni around the globe and are impacting the lives of a whole new generation of chefs. We are so proud that we continue to manage the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the nation and have awarded over $50 million in scholarships.”
Chef Anthony has received numerous accolades, including Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2002 and Bon Appetit’s “Next Generation” in 2003. In 2008, Gramercy Tavern earned the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant.” In 2012, Michael won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef in New York City,” and in 2015, he won the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Chef,” a national recognition. In 2016, Michael’s V is for Vegetables won the James Beard Award for “Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian” cookbooks.
“The Benefit is our most powerful way in one evening to make a huge difference in the lives of so many young students, C-CAP changes lives by arming at-risk youth with the skills they need to succeed in culinary arts,” says Marcus Samuelsson. “As a chef and longtime supporter of C-CAP’s work, this is an extraordinary program that benefits both its remarkable recipients, and the growing market and demand for skilled talent. C-CAP continues to help thousands of qualified students across the country through culinary education opportunities in high school to career placement assistance upon graduation.”
Past recipients of the C-CAP Honors Award include: Daniel Humm, Richard Parsons & Alexander Smalls, Michael White, Tony May, Michael McCarty, Michael Lomonaco, Marcus Samuelsson, Drew Nieporent, Alfred Portale, Lidia Bastianich, Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Danny Meyer & Michael Romano, Daniel Boulud, Jacques Pepin, Egidiana & Sirio Maccioni, Nina & Tim Zagat, and Saul Zabar & Stanley Zabar.
The C-CAP Benefit is open to the public. Tickets for general admission are $600 (limited availability). Tickets for VIP admission are $800 and $1,000. The $1,000 ticket includes a signed cookbook from a celebrity chef. For tickets, more information about the event, and sponsorship opportunities, call 212-974-7111 or visit www.ccapinc.org.
Participating Chefs
- Philip DeMaiolo, Abigail Kirsch
- Jason Weiner and Alex Nieto, Almond
- Christian Pratsch, Asiate
- Markus Glocker, Bâtard
- Daniel Boulud, Aaron Bludorn, Cesar Gutierrez*, Café Boulud
- Carla Hall, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen
- Ivy Stark, Dos Caminos
- Fortunato Nicotra, Felidia
- Alfred Portale, Gotham Bar and Grill
- Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern/Untitled
- Manish Mehrotra, Indian Accent
- Marc Aumont, Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate
- Maria Loi, Loi Estiatorio
- Kyung Up Lim, Michael’s
- Abram Bissell, The Modern
- Matt Hoyle, Nobu 57
- Bill Telepan, Oceana
- Leah Cohen, Betty Peña*, Pig & Khao
- Michael Lomonaco, Wayne Harley Brachman, Porter House
- Ryan Bartlow, Quality Eats
- Daniel Eddy, Rebelle
- Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster
- Andy Bennett, Rouge Tomate
- Sarabeth Levine, Sarabeth’s
- Kelvin Fernandez*, Strand Bistro
- David Burke, Tavern62 by David Burke
- JJ Johnson, The Cecil
- Ali LaRaia, The Sosta
- Swainson Brown*, The Writing Room
- Yvan Lemoine*, Union Fare
- Chris Santos, Vandal
- Michael White and Jared Gadbaw, Vaucluse
*C-CAP Alum
“C-CAP has an incredible system in place that, through education and training, prepares underserved youth for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries. The program is also of great benefit to chefs in our industry who are constantly looking for skilled and motivated employees,” says Marcus Samuelsson, C-CAP Board Co-Chair.
Since being founded by Richard Grausman in 1990, the organization has awarded over $50 million in scholarships, provided job training and internships, college and lifetime career support, teacher training and product and equipment donations to classrooms across the country. C-CAP works with over 17,000 students nationwide each year. Through C-CAP’s efforts, a large number of its students find rewarding careers in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Many alumni, now graduates of top culinary schools, are working in leading restaurants and hotels throughout the country. For the fourth year in a row, C-CAP received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest rating from the nation’s largest evaluator of charities. For more information, visit the website at ccapinc.org.
