Rains-Shapiro "Follow Your Dreams" Endowed Scholarship

The “Follow Your Dream, a Culinary Scholarship in Memory of Adam Rains and Jacob Shapiro” is available because of the too short-lived lives of two remarkable young men. In preparing to apply for this scholarship their families thought it important that you have some understanding of who these young men were, and what made them so special that a scholarship was named in their honor. Please read these descriptions prior to writing your application essay, letting their unique selves serve as role models in this application process.

Adam Rains:
Adam lived in the present, in the now, in the moment, with a spontaneous and charismatic intensity. At 5’9’’, he was solid, muscular, very handsome, and overflowing with the pulsing energy and strength of his own nature, for Adam was a force of nature. You felt his presence in the room, loved his contagiously explosive laughter, and absolutely knew when you were hugged, loved, and important to him.
Adam loved his family and friends completely and did not measure people by their income, possessions, or achievements. But as a competitor, extremely hard worker, and exemplifier of the highest personal standards of excellence, Adam set the bar high for those around him but loved to help people reach and exceed it, inspiring others to be themselves, not worry about what anyone thought, and reach for their personal best. Approaching another student, he would talk about how the art of balance that he learned playing professional baseball applied to slicing cucumbers, and then call the happy recipient of his wisdom a “Ninja” or “Rock Star” when they suddenly felt their own power and center of balance. He was a natural teacher.
Unafraid to try something new, go somewhere new, and leave the past behind,
Adam marched to the beat of his own drummer. A thinker, experimenter, and innovator, he was always exploring ways to do things differently, especially with food, for he had fallen in love with the culinary arts. Adam loved to cook. He would begin with a new idea and play with ingredients like a child plays with Legos. Unafraid to experiment with food varieties, combinations, and styles, Adam possessed keen senses of taste and smell. He talked incessantly about the philosophy of food preparation. He was born to be a chef.
When you were lucky enough to hear it, Adam espoused a uniquely Eastern philosophy of life – you were not your story, you were consciousness and dance in love’s amazing river. So Adam did not live for material things, he lived for experience, excellence, friendship, and love. We believe that all who receives this scholarship will also receive something of his spirit and be better for it.

Jacob Shapiro:
The youngest of three boys, Jacob grew up in Leonia, N.J. – a small suburban town close to N.Y.C. He attended the Fieldston School in Riverdale, N.Y. and graduated with a degree in Economics from Hamilton College. He was a natural athlete (an accomplished skier and a joyous dancer). He played soccer for four years for both his high school and college teams – ultimately serving both as captain. He was a natural leader. He made friends easily and widely. His smile had winning amperage and his hugs were given with warm intensity. After college he took a “recovery” world-wide walkabout. Upon his return he announced, to his parents astonishment, his intention to attend culinary school. As he had never even worked in a restaurant they insisted he do so before applying. Through connections his California based brother Jeremy used, he got a job at MaMa Saki’s in what was then called Squaw Valley. He thrived there: one of the sous chefs there later told his mother that she initially thought “oh this guy won’t last a week” but came to respect his work ethic as among the hardest she had witnessed. His passion was obvious.
He chose Greystone over Hyde Park after having spent 4 years in college in upstate New York. He came in January 2009 and became friends with Adam and quickly showed his natural tendencies towards leadership helping others to succeed. He loved the hard work, the camaraderie, the discipline, the challenges, the creativity! The kitchen with its wide ethnic population was a world he found totally exhilarating. This scholarship was the idea of his and Adam’s fellow classmates: his friends and family were happy to embrace it as it seems a fitting way to honor him. He was very conscious of the high cost of a culinary education and grateful that he himself was not so burdened. He no doubt would have found joy in helping others achieve what was so sadly cut short for him.