C-CAP Announces New Management Team
Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), the esteemed 31-year-old national workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens a pathway to employment and higher education, announced today that a new management team has been appointed. Tanya Steel, a global leader in the food industry, who joined C-CAP in October as VP of Strategic Development, has been named Executive Director. Jennifer Solomon, the former Treasurer & Chair of the Finance Committee of C-CAP, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Founded by Richard Grausman over three decades ago, C-CAP provides culinary, job and life skills to over 15,000 under-resourced middle-and-high school kids annually in six cities/regions across the United States. It strives to help further food and social justice, equity and inclusion by providing tools for success. “Preparing the next generation of culinary leaders for the workforce has never been more important. The pandemic has devastated restaurants and the industry is hit with soaring job losses. Employment is key to recovery, which is exactly why C-CAP is essential to rebuilding, and our new leadership team brings the drive and focus we need to impact change,” said Co-Chair Marcus Samuelsson. Co-Chair Mark Weiss adds, “C-CAP is needed now more than ever, to provide critical resources to students in under-served communities. The C-CAP Board of Directors is confident the organization is poised for even greater success and expansion with Tanya and Jennifer leading the way.” Founder Richard Grausman says: “I am thrilled that Tanya and Jennifer will lead our dedicated team to ensure C-CAP’s successful future.”
About Tanya Steel
Steel is the former Executive Director/CEO of the International Association of Culinary Professionals; former Editorial Director of Epicurious, Clean Plates, and Gourmet Live; a former editor at Bon Appetit and Food & Wine magazines; and wrote for The New York Times’ food and style sections for four years. A multiple award-winner, including James Beards, ASMEs, Webbys, and a NY Emmy, she conceived of, and co-produced, the five-year White House program, The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ State Dinner, with former First Lady Michelle Obama and her team, as well as Canada’s five-year Kid Food Nation initiative. She is the author of three books, most recently, Food Fight: A Mouthwatering History of Who Ate What & Why Through the Ages (National Geographic Kids), an Amazon Best Children’s Book of the Year. She is also the Award Director for the Julia Child Award. For more, go to tanyasteel.com.
About Jennifer Solomon
Solomon’s 30-year career spans Wall Street, entrepreneurship, social enterprise and non-profit. Besides serving on the C-CAP Board for seven years, she was the Chief Development Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for The Art Students League; the Chief Financial Officer of Greyston, a pioneering culinary social enterprise; owner of a successful small business; and a Director and Vice President at financial institutions including Institutional Investor and Salomon Smith Barney. She is a graduate of MIT and Wharton.
About C-CAP
Co-chaired by chef, author, TV personality, and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson and real estate executive Mark Weiss, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a workforce development nonprofit that provides under-served teens a pathway to success. Annually, C-CAP provides culinary, job and life skills to over 15,000 middle-and-high school students in six cities/regions across the United States. This 31-year-old nonprofit founded by Richard Grausman strives to help further food and social justice, as well as equity and inclusion by providing tools for success. Starting in middle schools, we provide culinary-and-wellness curriculum, and in high schools also provide an integrated approach to employment in the food sector via internships/apprenticeships and work opportunities, industry mentoring, college and career advising, and scholarships, along with product and food donations. The success of our alumni is proof of our methodology and the work we have done. To date we have worked with 350,000 students and awarded $62 million in scholarships for higher education. C-CAP has transformed thousands of lives in a meaningful way. The urgency to help these diverse communities has never been more critical. For more information about C-CAP, visit ccapinc.org and follow @ccapinc and #CCAPisCooking.