According to Mark Crowell, CRC®, founder of CuliNex, LLC, “Education is at the heart of the Research Chefs Association’s mission. My career has benefited greatly from Culinology, and I hope these scholarships will encourage students to pursue a Culinology degree and career. I am funding two certification scholarships because it has been a difficult year for many of my colleagues. I want to encourage members already practicing Culinology to take that extra step to increase their competitiveness. Certification credentials have proven invaluable to me in sending a strong signal of professionalism to employers and the development community. Lastly, I am hopeful this gift will spur others to support the RCF’s mission in providing financial assistance to qualified students and professionals."

Crowell gained his certification in 2003 and served on the RCA board of directors from 2000 to 2006. He is the former director of product development for Olive Garden Restaurants and Starbucks Coffee Company. CuliNex specializes in assisting retailers, food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and multiunit foodservice operators to achieve their growth goals by bringing successful organic and natural products to market.

The Research Chefs Association, through the Research Chefs Foundation, provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships to qualified students and professionals pursuing higher learning and continuing education in Culinology®, culinary arts and food science. Founded in 2002, the Research Chefs Foundation was established to help achieve the RCA mission: To promote the value of Culinology® and empower its community.