Xochitl exec chef Dionicio Jimenez just made it into the New York Times. The co-owner of the well-regarded Society Hill restaurant chimed in about a new program of $23 million in scholarship money for Latin American cooks at the CIA. The $23 million, which will pay for 150 scholarships to the CIA, is part of a larger $35 million donation to the Culinary Institute of America from Pace hot sauce founder Christopher Goldsbury, who intends for the money to help talented working-class and immigrant cooks master their art:
Dionicio Jimenez, one of a handful of immigrants from Mexico who has worked his way up to the top rank of American kitchens, is impressed with Mr. Goldsbury’s plan.Mr. Jimenez, the chef and an owner of Xochitl in Philadelphia, immigrated from Puebla, Mexico, nine years ago. He could cook but he couldn’t speak much English. So he began work as a dishwasher and moved to the kitchen line. Earlier this year, he opened Xochitl, his well-regarded 80-seat restaurant, with an American partner.“People have good skills but they need the opportunity to go to culinary school because it’s so expensive,” he said. “It’s hard, especially here. In Mexico, nobody asks you about where you went to culinary school.”
Culinary Institute Receives $35 Million [NY Times]
Culinary Institute of America Press Release [CIA]
Xochitl [MenuPages]
Xochitl [Official Site]
Xochitl exec chef Dionicio Jimenez just made it into the New York Times. The co-owner of the well-regarded Society Hill restaurant chimed in about a new program of $23 million in scholarship money for Latin American cooks at the CIA. The $23 million, which will pay for 150 scholarships to the CIA, is part of a larger $35 million donation to the Culinary Institute of America from Pace hot sauce founder Christopher Goldsbury, who intends for the money to help talented working-class and immigrant cooks master their art:
