Alumni Newsletter

Keeping our Alumni informed of Atlantic Cape activities

Alumni Updates

Mouths were watering among Philadelphia area culinary connoisseurs. Thanks to The Book and The Cook Café Society and DiBruno Bros., Chef Michael Schlow, ACA ’87, of Boston’s “hot and happening” Radius, Great Bay and Via Matta restaurants, brought his award-winning cuisine to Philly in March. The Caffe Society event included a cooking demonstration, multi-course service, complimentary wines, signed cookbooks, and more.

Evelyn Benton (nee Burkett), ACA ’89, manager of the Southern Branch of the Community FoodBank of NJ, was among this year’s inductees into the Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame. Writing in the FoodBank’s newsletter, “Food For Thought,” Benton said, “Anyone who is familiar with this wonderful group of women can probably imagine how thrilled and humbled I am.”

Alumni updates

ACA alumna, Melinda Dorn, ’96, was named the 2006 Montana Chef’s Association Chef of the Year. The 31-year old New Jersey native nearly didn’t make her April 4 coronation banquet. She asked her boss to accept the accolade while she carried on teaching her two-night class in making truffles, but she arrived in time to take a bow. In addition to the ACA, Dorn studied at the DCT International Hotel and Culinary Arts School in Lucerne, Switzerland. She is chef at Creative Catering in Missoula, Mont. Last year she won a gold medal in the Big Sky, Mont., competition for cooking with Montana food products.

Kathryn A. Sappie, ’89, AAS (PTA), of Little Egg Harbor, was awarded the Wachovia Foundation Scholarship at Thomas Edison State College where she’s going for her bachelor’s degree in psychology. “I have always wanted to get my bachelor’s and pursue my passion, which is to teach children,” she told the Tuckerton Beacon. The scholarship is funded by Wachovia Corp. and is awarded to Edison College students who earned associate degrees at a New Jersey community college.

Culinary school sweethearts Mark Rowand and Ann Hilbert, both ’95, met at the ACA, got married and recently bought the Emerald Fish on Route 70 East in Cherry Hill. Mark helped run the place in its first five years, then left because he didn’t want to work on Sundays, although Ann stayed on. According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the first thing the Rowands did when they took over the seafood establishment: close on Sundays. Emerald Fish recently received a great review from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Patricia Nash, ’97 ACA, was appointed American Culinary Federation National Culinary Team pastry chef. ACF Culinary Team USA represents the United States in all major international culinary competitions. Nash was selected for the team based on her performance in the same role at the 2004 culinary Olympics.

Mike Stollenwerk, ’99 ACA, is the new executive chef at Swedes Inn in Swedesboro after stints in restaurants in Cape May, Avalon, Philadelphia and Gloucester County.