New England Culinary Institute announced Sept. 10 the hiring of celebrity chef Jean-Louis Gerin as its new campus executive chef.

Fresh off his win as Food Network’s 2012 “Chopped” champion, the appointment of Gerin is a huge coup for New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier and the State of Vermont. He comes to NECI from Greenwich, Conn., where he and his wife, Linda, have enjoyed a successful 28 years with their own Restaurant JEAN-LOUIS. Since opening in 1985, Restaurant JEAN-LOUIS has earned a reputation as perhaps the finest restaurant in Connecticut, and one of the best in the United States. It has been recognized by Wine Spectator for more than 20 years for its excellent wine list and as one of the “most romantic restaurants for wine lovers in the country” for five years running. The restaurant has consistently earned top ratings by Zagat, and has received Zagat’s “Best in Value” accreditation for the past three years.

L'Academie de Cuisine, the original cooking school in the Washington, D.C., recently expanded its reach in partnership with The Hill School on Capitol Hill to hold recreational cooking classes in its new cultural center. The historical building is the Old Naval Hospital, a landmark of the Capitol Hill neighborhood that has been transformed into Hill Center, a vibrant, campus-like hub for cultural enrichment, lifelong learning and civic engagement. Chef and L’Academie founder François Dionot kicked off cooking classes on June 9 with a mouthwatering spring menu.

Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) in Louisville, Ky., honored Chef Paul Virant of Chicago’s Perennial Virant with the prestigious Distinguished Visiting Chef award on Aug. 9. As recipient of the award, Virant presented on-campus cooking demonstrations in addition to a question-and-answer session held exclusively for Sullivan University students. He also signed copies of his book, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux.

Designed to connect today’s aspiring culinarians with industry leaders, the Distinguished Visiting Chef series has been recognizing three top chefs annually since its inception in 1988. Virant was the 52nd recipient of the award, joining an impressive roster of chefs that includes Bob Kinkead, Emeril Lagasse, Louis Osteen, Rick Tramonto and Marcel Desaulniers.

Virant is the chef and owner of Michelin-star restaurant Vie in Western Springs, Ill., and Perennial Virant in Chicago. His philosophy of local, seasonal eating stems from his childhood spent on his family’s farm in Missouri. He credits his grandmothers, both avid canners, for instilling in him a reverence for local ingredients and serving as the inspiring force behind his becoming a chef.

New England Culinary Institute alumnus Shawn Gawle has been named as a “Best New Pastry Chef 2012” by Food & Wine magazine.

Gawle graduated NECI in 1999 with an AOS degree in Culinary Arts. “For Shawn to have created such an impressive niche in the baking and pastry world with a culinary-arts background demonstrates how imagination, creativity and fearlessness—coupled with knowledge of ‘the basics’—can create unlimited possibilities,” says Fran Voigt, NECI founder and CEO. “Shawn will no doubt have many more culinary successes in what will surely be a long and illustrious career.”

Food & Wine attributed Gawle’s success to his combining “modernist and classic techniques to create thoughtful, elegant, French-inflected desserts that often highlight Asian ingredients, like yuzu and cardamom.”

Formally trained as a savory cook, Gawle has spent years working in some of America’s most highly regarded kitchens with world-renowned chefs from Chicago to Philadelphia and New York City. His mastery of classic French technique has freed him to channel his creativity and push boundaries with his desserts. Gawle has been serving as pastry chef at New York’s first-class restaurant, Corton, since 2010. This most recent award from Food & Wine is the latest of his many accolades.

Chef Gary Lyons of the Fox Valley Technical College’s (FVTC) Chefs Gone Grillin’ culinary competition team took home first prize in the dessert competition at the 8th annual UP Hog Wild BBQ Competition held July 21 and 22 in Kingsford, Mich. The winning dessert was Jones Cherrywood Smoked Bacon & Maple Cheesecake.

Lyons, a professor at FVTC who was voted the Wisconsin Restaurant Association’s “College Educator of the Year” in 2011, received a perfect score from the judges—a rare achievement for this type of high-level event. Nearly 30 culinary teams from around Wisconsin and Michigan participated in this state of Michigan championship sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS).

The Club Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Joe Perdue Scholarships:

• Jennifer Turowski, University of Delaware
• Natalie Fort, Michigan State University
• Jean Thomae, University of Delaware
• Rebecca Wyskiel, University of Massachusetts
• Adrian Vivas, University of Houston
• Salvatrice DiFrescoe, Fairleigh Dickinson University

The Club Foundation established the Joe Perdue Scholarship in honor of Joe Perdue, 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 more than 155 student scholarships totaling more than $270,000. 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.

“The Club Foundation commends these individuals on the pathway to excellence on which they have embarked,” says Seth Gregg, COO, The Club Foundation. “The Club Foundation provides these scholarships through the continued generosity and support of CMAA’s members, chapters and Corporate Advantage Program partners who provide the resources necessary to maintain these scholarships.” CMAA is the Club Managers Association of America.

For more information, visit www.clubfoundation.org.