Food Dreams
Food Dreams Scholarship
Through Food Dreams, select students will be mentored by the Jean-Georges team, have the chance to extern at one of Chef Vongerichten’s properties, and receive needed scholarships. “By investing in culinary students and the community around them, Food Dreams will expose students to some of the world’s top restaurants, extending life-changing opportunities,” Chef Vongerichten says. “Together, we can make a difference in the lives of students and the culinary industry as a whole.”
OUR MISSION
Food Dreams, A Jean-Georges Foundation, is a nonprofit organization based on principles of family values and hard work that is dedicated to bridging the gap between students and the working culinary community. The organization has partnered with renowned Culinary Institute of America, offering scholarships, training and job placement opportunities to program graduates in some of the world’s best restaurants to help fulfill students’ dreams of becoming a chef. CIA students will gain valuable experience, networking, and scholarship opportunities thanks to Food Dreams, an exclusive partnership between The Culinary Institute of America and famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
OUR TEAM
JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN – CO-FOUNDER
Though Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the world’s most famous and renowned chefs, his skills extend far beyond the kitchen. A savvy businessman and restaurateur, Jean-Georges is responsible for the operation and success of a constellation of three and four-star Michelin restaurants worldwide. Jean-Georges has made culinary history and has developed a reputation as remarkable as his food, by pairing his deep understanding of the restaurant world with his innovative vision. After years of success, Jean-Georges’ favorite retreat is still the kitchen, and his favorite meals served from a street cart in Thailand.
LOUISE VONGERICHTEN – CO-FOUNDER / PRESIDENT
Louise was born in 1987 in New York City where her father Jean-Georges and her mother Muriel decided to settle after traveling the world. Louise grew up between NY and the south of France where she studied and practiced ballet. Louise decided to return to the U.S. in 2005 where she studied Finance at American University in Washington D.C. After working a few years for her father’s business, Louise returned to France and completed her MBA at ESSEC Business School in Paris. She then lived in Dubai and Hong Kong before finally settling back in New York City. She has since opened two restaurants, under the Chefs Club name. Louise has always been sensitive to humanitarian causes. Louise decided to establish Food Dreams with her family in early 2016 to help students access education and jobs within the culinary industry.
CÉDRIC VONGERICHTEN – CO-FOUNDER
Cédric Vongerichten was born in 1981 in Bangkok, Thailand, when his father, Jean-Georges Vongerichten was the Chef at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. Soon after, at the age of 2, Cédric moved to New York. It did not take long for him to find his calling. At the age of 9, he was already playing in his father’s kitchen at the Lafayette in New York, and by the time he was 17 he officially began his career as a chef at a restaurant in the Bahamas. He continued to learn about food and refine his techniques as he traveled the world to work at London’s Berkeley Hotel, Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental, and at El Bulli in Barcelona. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, he worked through the ranks at several Jean Georges Restaurants. After working as a sous chef at Jean Georges, he was appointed to his current position as Chef de Cuisine at Perry St Restaurant. Cédric was most recently named by Zagat as one of the top 30 up and coming chefs under 30.