For years, WSCA has honored the culinary leaders who shaped our profession by awarding scholarships in their names. Today I'm glad to share that we've made applying for them dramatically easier: the entire process is now online.
No more printing, mailing, or chasing paperwork. Students complete a guided, mobile-friendly application on our website, and their progress saves automatically — so they can start on a break, finish at home, and never lose their place. From start to finish it takes about 20–30 minutes. And the Fall cycle is open right now.
The Scholarships — Three Cycles a Year, $3,000 Each
- Fall (open now) — the Darrell Anderson Scholarship (honoring a 50-year educator who mentored 2,000+ culinarians) and the Evelyn Enslow Scholarship (named for the first female American Academy of Chefs recipient in the Pacific Northwest). Two recipients. Apply by August 15; recipients notified September 8.
- Winter — the Joseph Sir Scholarship, for a mentor who championed apprenticeship. Apply by December 1; notified December 28.
- Summer — the Walter Bronowitz Scholarship, honoring a national ACF leader and apprenticeship pioneer — high school students only. Apply by April 15; notified May 15.
One applicant enters a candidate for every award in whichever cycle is open; the scholarship committee selects the recipients.
Who Can Apply
Current ACF members affiliated with WSCA (Chapter WA013) who are enrolled in, accepted to, or a recent graduate of a Washington culinary program. GPA is collected, but there's no minimum cutoff — a strong application is about the whole person. (The Summer cycle is for high school students.)
What the Application Looks Like: Five Short Steps
- About you & eligibility — contact details (pre-filled from your WSCA member profile), ACF member number, school/program, enrollment status, and GPA.
- Culinary path & goals — a few honest short-answers: what drew you to cooking, your goals for the next 1–3 and 5–10 years, and how this scholarship helps you get there.
- Competition & involvement — any competitions (optional), how you've been involved with ACF and WSCA, and how you give back to your community.
- Supporting documents — upload your PDFs (below).
- Review & submit — look everything over, agree to a few short statements, and submit.
What to have ready — PDFs, 10 MB max each:
- A transcript (unofficial is fine)
- Two letters of recommendation from instructors, chefs, or supervisors (family members aren't eligible to write them)
- A résumé
After You Submit
You'll get a confirmation email with a tracking code right away. The committee reviews all applications after the deadline, and every applicant hears back by the notification date — selected or not.
Note: Uploaded documents are stored privately and viewable only by the review committee.
How to Apply
Head to Scholarships → Apply Now. You'll sign in or create a free WSCA account first (about a minute) so your application saves as you go.
Chefs and Instructors — Here's How You Can Help
- Tell your students — especially the talented ones who'd never put themselves forward.
- Offer to write a recommendation. Two are required, and a specific, personal letter carries real weight. A few minutes from you can change a student's year.
- Share the deadline: Fall closes August 15.
Questions? Reach out to Larry W Jordan Jr at treasurer@washingtonstatechefs.org.