Wegmans Awards 2 Scholarships to Aspiring Chefs

Wegmans Food Markets has chosen two winners from 40 entries in a contest that solicited essays from aspiring young chefs. The two winners will receive $450 scholarships to attend Wegmans’ Culinary Teen Camps.

The winning entries were submitted by Mariah Posadni from Wegmans’ hometown of Rochester, N.Y., who will attend culinary camp at the grocer’s Menu Cooking School in Pittsford, and Jacquelyn Petrishin of Niagara Falls, N.Y., who will go to Wegmans’ Menu Cooking Events at the Sheridan Drive location in Buffalo, N.Y. Both entrants credited their mothers for inspiring their love of cooking from an early age. A panel of Wegmans employees reviewed and scored the essays, which were received from Dec. 12 through Jan. 30.

“We were so impressed by the caliber of each and every entry,” noted Wegmans’ Menu Cooking School manager Angela Volta. “It’s a real treat for us to read stories of inspiration from young chefs, and even more so to help them further their culinary skills at our camps.”

Wegmans’ Culinary Teen Camps began in 2007. During the five-day experience, teens work alongside Wegmans chefs, learning everything from knife skills and cooking techniques to food safety, menu planning, and meal presentation. Each camp also provides daily guest instructors with expert knowledge in areas such as seafood and nutrition, and a graduation party features food prepared by the students. Teen Camp II offers further instruction in fundamentals and cooking techniques for graduates of Teen Camp I. Some past attendees have gone on to culinary schools and professional culinary careers, according to Wegmans.