[StBernard] New Orleans culinary student attends leadership forum in New York

[Westley Annis]

New Orleans culinary student attends leadership forum in New York

Lashandra Robinson of New Orleans, a graduate of Nunez Community College's
Culinary Program in Chalmette and winner of John Besh and Bride Mayor's
Chefs Move! Scholarship, recently attended the American Hotel & Lodging
Association's Hospitality Leadership Forum in New York.

Robinson has worked at many New Orleans restaurants and is now a student at
The International Culinary Center (formerly The French Culinary Institute)
in New York. Several students from the center were recognized at the forum. 

Last summer Robinson won the Chefs Move! scholarship, an initiative of The
John Besh Foundation.  She left for New York last July on the scholarship,
which has the mission to diversify kitchen leadership by providing minority
applicants the opportunity to train up and become leaders in restaurant
kitchens and in their communities.

The John Besh & Bride Mayor Scholarship is followed by a two-month
internship with the Besh Restaurant Group. After the internship, Chefs Move!
graduates stay and work in New Orleans for at least two years so that their
advanced culinary skills benefit the local area.

"We hope that our graduates will want to continue working in NOLA for at
least five years after the program so that they may become leaders in the
kitchen and leaders in the community," said Emery Whalen, executive director
of The John Besh Foundation.

Robinon received full tuition to the nine-month culinary program at The
International Culinary Center.