Gavin Pierce, a student at Baker College of Port Huron’s Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM), was highlighted in the Fall 2014 edition of Life with Teens, a magazine published quarterly by TeenLife Media for parents.

The article highlighted reasons to consider careers in trade professions and featured teens who have chosen to do just that. Pierce, a rising young chef, is a prime example. He is earning an associate degree in culinary arts at the CIM Port Huron and recently won a silver medal at a regional cooking competition.

“Gavin is an outstanding young chef, and displays a great amount of passion for the profession,” said Thomas Recinella, CEC, ACE, AAC, CIM Port Huron program director and COURSES Restaurant executive chef. “He enjoys engaging all five senses and blending his artistic work into the equation. That type of passion is unique, and I know that an impressive future lies ahead for him.”

For the third straight year, the winner of the culinary competition at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) Academic Cultural Technology & Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) will be enrolling at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Frehdee Gatewood of Houston, Texas, was the gold-medal winner at a cook-off held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas last summer. By winning the event, Gatewood earned a half-tuition scholarship to the CIA. She enrolls at the Hyde Park, N.Y., campus this month, majoring in culinary arts.

Last year’s gold-medal winner, Darrell Crawford of Chicago, is beginning his CIA studies in January 2015, as well. Karina Yepez, who won in 2012, is currently a sophomore.

Juleps Catering at Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky., is pleased to announce the addition of chefs Laurent Vals and Jacquelyn Thompson-Lee to its culinary team.

Vals joined Juleps in October 2014. Previously, he worked in restaurants in Paris and New York City before opening his own hand-crafted chocolate company in Rhode Island. In 2014, he won the Dessert Cup competition and took fifth place for Chocolatier of the Year at the annual Pastry Live convention. Born in Paris, Vals received his culinary degree from l’Ecole Hoteliere du Moulin a Vent in 1986 and his pastry-chef degree in 1989. In his new position at Juleps, Vals oversees the day-to-day kitchen operations; coaches, mentors and guides catering interns; and develops new menu ideas while managing seasonal menus.

Ground beef and hamburgers are two of America’s most beloved meat products, yet also among the most misunderstood when it comes to how they’re made. With that in mind, American Meat Institute (AMI) has developed a new video as part of its “Glass Walls” series featuring a tour of a processing plant that produces ground beef for several major restaurant chains. The tour is led by Birchwood Foods/Kenosha Beef president and CEO Dennis Vignieri, whose family has been in the beef business for nearly 80 years.

The video highlights the entire process of making ground beef and hamburgers and shows how beef trimmings are analyzed and ground into a specific lean-to-fat ratio that consumers enjoy and finally formed into patties that are packaged and sent to restaurants and grocery stores. More than half of the beef consumed in the United States is ground beef.

Olives from Spain and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) have selected the winners of their 2014 Scholarship Competition and Recipe Challenge. The competition, open to CIA students in all three U.S. campuses, challenged students to submit recipes featuring Olives from Spain shown in innovative, versatile new culinary applications, from starters and tapas to flavorful entrees.

The inspiration behind the contest was to educate the future generation of culinary professionals on the benefits and virtues of sourcing Olives from Spain, the largest exporter of table olives worldwide. With a wide variety of presentation forms and varieties available, Olives from Spain are versatile, nutritious and work across many cuisines. While only three winners were selected, creativity and passion were demonstrated across all of the students' applications.

The Club Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 Joe Perdue Scholarships:

• Zoe LaClair, Cornell University
• Matthew Rodgers, Johnson & Wales, Charlotte
• Patrick Reilly, Niagara University
• Amanda Tidwell, Niagara University
• Rachel Zilka, Niagara University

The Club Foundation established the Joe Perdue Scholarship in honor of Joe Perdue, CCM, CHE, a long-time educator and pillar of the club-management industry. The scholarship provides tuition support to students who are pursuing careers in club management. Since its inception, The Club Foundation has awarded 177 student scholarships totaling more than $320,000. Any individual who is actively seeking a managerial career in the club industry and is currently attending an accredited, four-year college or university undergraduate program may apply to The Club Foundation for scholarship aid.