The Mission

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation honors Chef Will’s enduring legacy by empowering aspiring young culinarians through scholarships, education, equipment, and training. We nurture secondary and post-secondary school culinary arts talent in underrepresented communities, transforming passionate individuals into the next generation of culinary arts & sciences specialists and professional chefs.

The Mission

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation honors Chef Will’s enduring legacy by empowering aspiring young culinarians through scholarships, education, equipment, and training. We nurture culinary talent in underrepresented communities, transforming passionate individuals into the next generation of culinary arts specialists and professional chefs.

Our Story

Suffering a devastating tragedy on November 1, 2023, our lives were forever changed in a way that no parent should ever experience, the sudden loss of a child. In the darkest hours of grief, we were inspired by the light of Will’s heavenly spirit to do something positive, while facing the unimaginable reality of his death.

Every day we are faced with the heart-breaking loss of our son, brother, husband, friend, and colleague William-Allen Peterson, “Chef Will”. Our family was compelled to express our deep love for Will and find a means to distinctively recognize his lifelong passion for cooking and his professional culinary journey of discovery.

Thus, the Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation was born, dedicated to helping prepare the next generation of aspiring young culinarians.

We have turned our family’s unending tragedy into advocacy and opportunity development for talented young men and women pursuing culinary arts professions and a shot at career success.

Our Story

Suffering a devastating tragedy on November 1, 2023, our lives were forever changed in a way that no parent should ever experience, the sudden loss of a child. In the darkest hours of grief, we were inspired by the light of Will’s heavenly spirit to do something positive, while facing the unimaginable reality of his death.

Every day we are faced with the heart-breaking loss of our son, brother, husband, friend, and colleague William-Allen Peterson, “Chef Will”. Our family was compelled to express our deep love for Will and find a means to distinctively recognize his lifelong passion for cooking and his professional culinary journey of discovery.

Thus, the Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation was born, dedicated to helping prepare the next generation of aspiring young culinarians.

We have turned our family’s unending tragedy into advocacy and opportunity development for talented young men and women pursuing culinary arts professions and a shot at career success.

Just the Facts

Just the Facts

Programs

Programs

Scholarships

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation has created annual merit-based scholarships for talented culinary arts students designed to work in partnership with inspired secondary school culinary arts educators.

Our goal is to create regenerative annual scholarships that grow in size and quantity over time, which encourage culinary arts students to strive for higher levels of achievement in management and leadership roles in a variety of culinary fields. Our scholarship program helps off-set the high cost of post-secondary culinary education & training, tuition and fees for young men and women in underrepresented communities.

Scholarships

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation has created annual merit-based scholarships for talented culinary arts students designed to work in partnership with inspired secondary school culinary arts educators.

Our goal is to create regenerative annual scholarships that grow in size and quantity over time, which encourage culinary arts students to strive for higher levels of achievement in management and leadership roles in a variety of culinary fields. Our scholarship program helps off-set the high cost of post-secondary culinary education & training, tuition and fees for young men and women in underrepresented communities.

Culinary Tool Kits & Equipment

Culinary Tool-Kits
and Equipment

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Foundation recognizes that many public secondary schools, culinary arts educators, and students lack the essential tools that every culinarian is expected to be practiced, proficient, and confident in their usage.

These essential tools-of-the-trade in the cooking profession are essential to students graduating from culinary arts programs and working in commercial kitchens. Young culinarians need cutlery, cooking utensils, professional apparel, and appropriate footwear to learn their craft, practice and work in a professional kitchen environment.

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation aims to make these “tools-of-the-trade” and requisite training more widely available to students.

Culinary Tool Kits & Equipment

Culinary
Tool-Kits and Equipment

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Foundation recognizes that many public secondary schools, culinary arts educators, and students lack the essential tools that every culinarian is expected to be practiced, proficient, and confident in their usage.

These essential tools-of-the-trade in the cooking profession are essential to students graduating from culinary arts programs and working in commercial kitchens. Young culinarians need cutlery, cooking utensils, professional apparel, and appropriate footwear to learn their craft, practice and work in a professional kitchen environment.

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation aims to make these “tools-of-the-trade” and requisite training more widely available to students.

Mentoring and Advocacy

Mentors are vital to the success of becoming a good cook and grow as a person of good character. Culinary arts youth need to be cultivated and nurtured by thoughtful and experienced professional educators and chefs to bring forth the passion for cooking and growth as a young adult.

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation has created and is building local Chef Ambassadors Corps composed of impassioned educators, culinary specialists, chefs, restaurateurs and food and beverage professionals to mentor young men and women pursuing culinary arts careers.

Our Chef Ambassadors also advocate for students, culinary arts educators, and schools to modernize secondary school curriculum, infuse the needed resources and talent to better prepare students for professional culinary arts careers. Mentoring makes a difference and advocacy changes decision makers’ minds for the better.

Mentoring and Advocacy

Mentoring and Advocacy

Mentors are vital to the success of becoming a good cook and grow as a person of good character. Culinary arts youth need to be cultivated and nurtured by thoughtful and experienced professional educators and chefs to bring forth the passion for cooking and growth as a young adult.

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation has created and is building local Chef Ambassadors Corps composed of impassioned educators, culinary specialists, chefs, restaurateurs and food and beverage professionals to mentor young men and women pursuing culinary arts careers.

Our Chef Ambassadors also advocate for students, culinary arts educators, and schools to modernize secondary school curriculum, infuse the needed resources and talent to better prepare students for professional culinary arts careers. Mentoring makes a difference and advocacy changes decision makers’ minds for the better.

Mentoring and Advocacy

Education and Training

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation affirms that learning the fundamentals of cooking is only the beginning of the culinary arts students’ journey to becoming a professional.

Culinary arts students need to understand that their passion for cooking and a graduation certificate are simply not enough to assure a successful career in the culinary arts, hospitality or restaurant industries.

Preparation for success in the workplace relies on an innate understanding of the kitchen’s highly competitive “laws of natural selection”. Further, young culinarians entering the workforce must bring value to their employer with functional work life skills, modern cooking techniques, and an understanding of business and profitability aspects of the hospitality and restaurant industries. Part of the Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundations mission is to fill in those identified training and education gaps with partner schools.

Education and Training

The Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundation affirms that learning the fundamentals of cooking is only the beginning of the culinary arts students’ journey to becoming a professional.

Culinary arts students need to understand that their passion for cooking and a graduation certificate are simply not enough to assure a successful career in the culinary arts, hospitality or restaurant industries.

Preparation for success in the workplace relies on an innate understanding of the kitchen’s highly competitive “laws of natural selection”. Further, young culinarians entering the workforce must bring value to their employer with functional work life skills, modern cooking techniques, and an understanding of business and profitability aspects of the hospitality and restaurant industries. Part of the Chef William-Allen Peterson Culinary Arts Foundations mission is to fill in those identified training and education gaps with partner schools.

Partner
Sponsor

Our Partners

Our Partners

Good Work Partnership
Blue Ridge Bank
Trades + Tech
NL Financial Services
NL CPAs
Good Work Partnership
Blue Ridge Bank
Trades + Tech
NL Financial Services
NL CPAs