Atlantic Cape’s ACA celebrates 40 years & more Atlantic County news
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Atlantic Cape’s Academy of Culinary Arts celebrates 40th anniversary; hosts gala
MAYS LANDING — From globe-trotting pastry chefs to locally-renowned restaurateurs and everything in between, the Academy of Culinary Arts has helped mold, educate and elevate highly skilled culinary and hospitality professionals for four decades.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College.
“The Academy of Culinary Arts has been an important part of educating and preparing the culinary workforce in southern New Jersey and will continue to be as we adapt to the changing needs of the hospitality and tourism industry,” said Chef Tim O’Donnell, director, Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. “We are bringing on new programming like mobile food service with our new Food Truck, and look forward to the future of the academy and the successes of our students.”
Accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation, the academy opened in fall 1981 with 44 students in two existing kitchens at the former Atlantic Community College in Mays Landing, now Atlantic Cape Community College.
At the time, the casino boom in Atlantic City meant a renaissance of eateries in the region looking for a well-trained staff, according to an article that appeared in the New York Times on Feb. 7, 1982.
Construction on the M wing of the campus with eight kitchen classrooms was completed in spring 1982 and a year later, by the time that the on-campus restaurant Careme’s had opened, the academy had 250 students from throughout the country.
Since the academy opened, 3,441 students have graduated with a degree in culinary arts, many of whom have gone on to successful careers locally, nationally and internationally.
Take Carole Trace, 25, a 2016 ACA graduate who took her baking and pastry degree to Chicago to work for more than a year at Alinea, a three-star Michelin Guide restaurant. Now, she is head baker at Trident Coffee in San Diego.
“The biggest thing that I got from here – and this is what I encourage to others trying to get into the industry – is the ratio of students to teachers is much better,” Trace said during a recent visit to her former instructor, Chef Annmarie Chelius’ classroom to create a molecular gastronomy dessert for the students to make. “My skills are far better and that’s what helped me get this far: that personal, one-on-one instruction and attention.”
Greg Krawiec is the hospitality management program coordinator and associate professor at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. The Bridgeton native, 59, was part of the first class of students to graduate from the Academy in 1983.
“I probably didn’t know at the time that the school was under construction right when I started,” Krawiec said. “What stood out to me right away was the amount of talent (in the teaching staff). This experience that they brought was world class and it really spoke to me.”
He said that the commitment from the chef educators and the ownership they took in the academy was awe-inspiring. In addition, Krawiec said that the foundational background he received propelled him in his career.
“It opened my eyes coming from a small town to this big industry of hospitality and tourism,” he said.
Chef Joseph Sheridan, a 1996 graduate of the Academy of Culinary Arts, said the academy changed his life.
In the early 1980s, Sheridan was working part-time as a bartender in Parsippany when he was laid off from his full-time job as an electrical draftsman. In 1985, Sheridan moved to Atlantic City for a job as the beverage supervisor at Trump Castle and three years later took a similar position at Trop World where he met his wife, who encouraged him to return to school.
A degree in culinary could round out his background in hospitality management, he thought.
“I had no intentions of being a chef, and when I got here, I fell in love with it,” Sheridan said.
From the feel of food in his hands, to the sizzling sound of meat touching a hot pan to the aromas of fresh soups simmering in the academy’s kitchens
, Sheridan was home.
After two decades working his way to be the executive sous chef of Showboat Casino and Hotel, Sheridan interviewed for a teaching position at his alma mater.
Now, he is in his 15th year as a chef educator, where he leads the instruction at Careme’s, the academy’s student-run restaurant.
“I love being here. I love working with the students every day,” said Sheridan, 62. “What I really get a joy out of now is following the success of former students through social media.”
While there are so many notable graduates from the Academy of Culinary Arts like Chef Douglass Williams, named Food & Wine “Best New Chefs in America” class of 2020 and a 2020 James Beard Award, or two-time “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant Amanda Palomino, there are many who graduate and go on to successful careers as chefs, cooks or entrepreneurs in the region.
Sheridan pointed to Robert Abramek of Harrah’s Atlantic City, a banquet cook at the Waterfront Conference Center, who he described as a “consummate professional.” Sheridan said that Abramek has been in the industry for decades, and enjoys his work and his role in the kitchen.
The Academy of Culinary Arts students and more than 40 area businesses will showcase their talents at the Atlantic Cape Restaurant Gala set for March 31 at Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City.
Tickets are $225 per person or $2,100 for a table of 10.
Also, three lucky winners will share up to $15,000 in the 2022 Atlantic Cape Community College Restaurant Gala 50/50 Raffle. The raffle is sponsored by the Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation, and 50 percent of proceeds will be used for emergency funds for students and student programming.
Only 300 tickets will be sold at $100 each. Three cash prizes will be awarded 30, 15 and 5 percent of the total sales. The winning tickets will be drawn at the gala and winners do not need to be present to win.
Tickets will be on sale during the gala and are also available for purchase in advance. To purchase a raffle ticket, call Maria Kellett at (609) 463-3670 or email [email protected].
For gala tickets or information, visit www.atlantic.edu/gala.
Stockton hosts ‘After the End of the World: Displaced Persons and Displaced Persons Camps’
GALLOWAY – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and Stockton University have announced the opening of the exhibition, “After the End of the World: Displaced Persons and Displaced Persons Camps.”
The exhibit was created by the United Nations Department of Global Communications, United Nations Archives and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
Professor Debórah Dwork, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity at the Graduate Center—CUNY, served as the scholar adviser for the exhibition. The exhibition was designed by YIVO and sponsored by the Refugee Studies Initiative and the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton.
The exhibition will be on view from March 21 to April 28 in the Richard E. Bjork Library at Stockton.
It is open to the public and there is no admission fee.
An unprecedented humanitarian crisis unfolded after the Second World War. The exhibition examines the responses of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, the first multinational response of its kind, and of Jewish Holocaust survivors in the immediate post-war years.
The exhibition weaves together sources from the United Nations Archives and the YIVO Archives to illuminate the macro history and personal stories.
Official documentation, including photographs, reports and correspondence from survivors and family members trying desperately to trace one another, are drawn from the United Nations Archives.
Among YIVO’s contributions are posters created by Holocaust survivors in the displaced persons camps that reflect key aspects of their daily life. They include wall newspapers, announcements for sporting events and political rallies, and lectures presented at the camps.
The exhibition illustrates how the impact of the Holocaust continued to be felt after the Second World War ended.
“The exhibition reminds us of the importance of a multinational response that is sensitive and responsive to the agency of the survivors and works to support them as they reconstitute their lives,” said Tracey Petersen, manager of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme.
“The exhibition illustrates how the displaced persons did not shrink from the task of rebuilding both their own lives and Jewish communal life,” said Jonathan Brent, chief executuve officer, YIVO.
Raz Segal, director of the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and co-coordinator of the Refugee Studies Initiative at Stockton University, said “We are looking forward to welcoming students, educators, and community members on campus, to engage with this important exhibition and consider the questions that this history poses for us today, in a world with more than 84 million forcibly displaced people.”
This is the first time the traveling exhibition will be on view. A larger exhibition, including artifacts from the YIVO Archives, will open at United Nations Headquarters in New York, in January 2023, to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
For information on group visits, call Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez at (609) 652-4699 or email [email protected].
Shore invites community to thank their doctor on Doctors’ Day
SOMERS POINT – March 30 is National Doctors’ Day, a chance to honor the doctors and medical professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for and healing others.
Each year Shore Medical Center hosts a brunch on Doctors’ Day to thank its doctors and advanced practice providers for their commitment to excellence, but Doctors’ Day is also an opportunity for patients and community members to let physicians know they’ve made a difference.
This year, Shore is giving community members a meaningful way to honor their Shore doctor with a donation in their honor to support patient care initiatives at Shore Medical Center.
With a donation of $5 to $50 or more, patients can also include a gratitude message for their Shore provider. Shore will deliver messages received by March 30 to physicians on Doctors’ Day.
To donate online, select the “Honor Your Doctor” button at www.GivetoShore.org and add your physician honoree’s name and your message.
To donate by mail or phone, call (609) 653-3800 or email [email protected].
Stockton short course offers information on how to connect with teenagers
GALLOWAY – Having a hard time connecting with teenagers?
Stockton University’s Institute for Lifelong Learning is offering “Connecting with the Teenagers in Your Life: Psychosocial Development in Adolescence,” a four-session course, via Zoom.
The course will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. March 25, and April 1, 8 and 15.
Kaite Yang, associate professor of psychology at Stockton, will present an overview of current research on psychological development during the teenage years.
Adolescence is a time of biological change that rivals the speed and intensity of growth in the first few years of life. Topics of focus include brain maturation, cognitive development, social cognition, and risk-taking. Participants will explore the importance of social contexts in each of these processes of development.
Cost is $45, except a grant will allow for free participation for Atlantic and Ocean county residents age 60 and older.
To register, visit https://stockton.edu/aging/service-learning.html.
AMI opens new Women’s Imaging Center in Mays Landing
MAYS LANDING – Atlantic Medical Imaging is opening a new dedicated Women’s Imaging Center on March 21. The new office is at 4450 Black Horse Pike in the Festival Shopping Plaza.
Among the services offered at this location will be 3D screening mammography, as well as DEXA scans. Ultrasound will also be available in the near future.
“Our new Women’s Imaging Center combines cutting edge technology and personalized patient care in comfortable and relaxed environment,” said Dr. Peggy Avagliano, head of women’s imaging for AMI. “The center was created for the unique healthcare imaging needs of women, and the location is convenient for all area residents.”
Hours are 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To schedule an appointment, call (609)-677-XRAY (9729), or visit https://.ami.opendr.com.
Local community colleges receive grants from ACE to fund scholarships to support the energy workforce
MAYS LANDING — Atlantic City Electric has provided $75,000 to three local community colleges to support scholarships for local youth to become the next generation of the energy workforce.
The funding builds on $50,000 in grants provided as part of ACE’s Community Scholars Program during the 2020-2021 academic year to support students across the company’s service area struggling to continue their education due to the impacts of the pandemic.
“We hope this funding helps open the door to educational opportunities that all too often are just a dream for many young people within our communities,” said Rodney Oddoye, senior vice president of Governmental, External and Regulatory Affairs for Pepco Holdings, which includes ACE. “Through our partnerships with local community colleges to our transformational workforce development programs like our partnership with Jingoli Power, we are not only expanding the possibilities for our youth, we are building the talent pool for the future energy workforce.”
ACE provided $75,000 in grants to Atlantic Cape Community College, Camden County Community College, and Rowan College of South Jersey.
In addition to this funding, as part of a partnership with United Negro College Fund ACE’s parent company, Exelon, and the Exelon Foundation, provided $2.4 million in scholarships to 24 college freshmen attending historic black colleges and universities as part of its HBCU Corporate Scholars Program launched in the fall 2021.
These community college grants and support for local students add to the initiatives of ACE and Exelon that support education and workforce development.
As an example, ACE partnered with Jingoli Power, the contract company working on ACE’s Atlantic City/Brigantine Community Reliability Project, to train young adults living in Atlantic City to support numerous areas of its project. ACE and Exelon are helping bridge the gender and racial gap in STEM careers with the annual Exelon Foundation STEM Leadership Academy, a program, to encourage and support the involvement of young women in science, technology, engineering and math.
These commitments extend outside of ACE’s walls through philanthropic support of similar work by other organizations in the community. In 2021, ACE provided more than $1.1 million in grants for nonprofits and programs across the company’s South Jersey service area.
For information, visit atlanticcityelectric.com.
Third EHT skunk confirmed for rabies; residents reminded of precautions to reduce risks
The Atlantic County Division of Public Health is reminding residents of precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to the rabies virus for animals and humans after a third skunk collected from Egg Harbor Township has been confirmed for the viral disease.
“Rabies can be fatal if left untreated which is why it is so important to vaccinate your pets,” stated Kara Janson, acting public health director for Atlantic County. “A rabies vaccination not only protects your pet but also helps protect the pet owner and family members from contracting the disease from an infected pet.”
The latest case involved a skunk collected from the 200 block of Virginia Avenue in the township after it had been found by the property owner in the back yard attacking the owner’s pet pig. Animal Control removed the skunk and sent it to the state lab for testing where it was confirmed positive for rabies on March 16.
In addition to the exposure of the pet pig, an investigation by the Atlantic County Division of Public Health found two possible human exposures of household members who provided immediate care to the pig. They have been advised to consult their healthcare provider and the pig has been placed under a strict six-month confinement.
The county has reported four cases of rabies this year. The first was found in a fox collected from Hamilton Township in January followed by the three skunks in Egg Harbor Township that were confirmed since February.
The Atlantic County Animal Shelter holds free rabies vaccination clinic every month for dogs and cats. To schedule an appointment, visit www.aclink.org/animalshelter.
Public health officials also advise residents to teach children to st
ay away from wild, stray or aggressive animals. Never feed or touch wild animals or try to keep them as pets.
Residents should also ensure trash cans have secure lids to prevent wildlife from foraging for food and not leave pet food outside. Many animals are also attracted to bird seed.
If you see wildlife that is behaving strangely, especially nocturnal animals such as skunks and raccoons found during daylight hours, do not approach the animal.
Instead, call your local Animal Control Officer. Contact information is available at www.aclink.org/animal-shelter/municipal.asp.
If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and seek medical attention.
All bites should be reported to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health at (609) 645-5971.
For information about rabies control and precautions, call (609) 645-5971 or visit www.aclink.org/publichealth.
American Red Cross announces area blood drives
The American Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services Region has issued an appeal for blood donors. All blood types are needed, but especially O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative in order to meet patient demand and prevent a blood shortage.
The following blood drives are scheduled in Atlantic County:
- 1 to 6 p.m. March 24, Egg Harbor Township Police Athletic League, 2542 Ridge Ave., Egg Harbor Township.
- 2 to 7 p.m. March 24, Victory Bible Church, 816 S. Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton.
- 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 27, AtlantiCare Life Center, 2500 English Creek Ave., Egg Harbor Township.
- 2 to 7 p.m. March 28, Zion Lutheran Church, 312 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City.
- 2 to 7 p.m. March 29, Zion Lutheran Church, 312 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City.
- 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29, VFW Post 2189, 500 Bethel Road, Somers Point.
- 2 to 7 p.m. March 31, Weymouth Township Building, 45 S. New Jersey Ave., Dorothy.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 31, Praise Tabernacle, 2235 Ocean Heights Ave., Egg Harbor Township.
To make an appointment, call (800) GIVE-LIFE or visit www.redcrossblood.org.
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