Becoming an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional® is the highest certification a cheese professional can attain in the United States and Canada. Presently, there are 740 CCPs® who have passed the exam and attained this level of recognition within the cheese industry.
Many of the individuals who want to become CCPs® find the expense of taking the exam and/or attending the ACS Conference too prohibitive financially. While Whole Foods Markets, Kroger/Murray’s Cheese, DPI and the WMMB among others generously sponsor employees, most smaller, boutique cheese shops can’t budget the funds which can cost as much as $2000.00. (Also, if you work for a company that will sponsor associates but you do not personally qualify for company coverage, you are eligible to apply. We may confirm with your employers that you are not receiving assistance.)
As many of you know, I started a Cheese Study Group on Facebook in 2015 to help educate those studying for the exam. Our membership has grown to almost 2300 members, many of whom have taken and passed the exam. In April we begin our study schedule for 2017 to again assist those sitting for the exam in 2017. The group is also open to anyone who wishes to increase their cheese IQ.
Now, I am thrilled to announce that the Cheese Study Group Administrators are sponsoring a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to award scholarships to candidates sitting for the 2017 ACS CCP exam® and for existing CCPs® to attend the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver, Cheese with Altitude. Our fundraising campaign begins today, February 15, 2017 and runs through April 30, 2017, when winners will be announced.
If you wish to donate, please go to our GoFundMe campaign to help send worthy “cheese nerds” to the ACS CCP exam® and Conference. All donations of $100.00 or more will receive special recognition when winners are announced (unless you choose to remain anonymous).
As donations reach levels to fund each scholarship, this information will be posted in the various cheese groups on Facebook, including the Cheese Study Group, Enjoy Cheese, American Cheese Society, Cheese for Undergraduates, My Cheese Peeps, Cheesemakers United, Norcal Cheese Collective, etc.
While donations are not tax-deductible, I assure you that donating to this campaign will benefit it winners and contribute to the growth and health of the American Cheese Industry. Donate here.
For those who wish to apply for a scholarship, here are the official rules:
2017 Cheese Study Group ACS CCP® Scholarships for
ACS CCP®s and ACS CCP Exam® Candidates
Overview:
The Eleven Administrators of the Facebook Cheese Study Group are pleased to announce our intentions to raise funds via a GoFundMe.com campaign to award scholarship(s) for Candidates sitting for the 2017 ACS CCP Exam® and ACS CCPs® to attend the 2017 ACS Conference in Denver, “Cheese with Altitude”. The winner(s) will receive scholarship(s) to help defray the costs of taking the exam and/or attending the conference.
To apply, applicants must fill out the entry form and answer a short essay question (see below). The essays will be judged anonymously on the passion and creativity by a panel of four Cheese Professional judges, who will select the winner(s) using a score from 1 to 100.
2017 Scholarship Judges:
Janet Fletcher
Janet Fletcher is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books on food and beverage, including Cheese & Wine, Cheese & Beer, The Cheese Course and Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Janet publishes the weekly Planet Cheese blog, writes the cheese column for Specialty Food magazine and teaches cooking and cheese-appreciation classes around the country. She is the recipient of three James Beard Awards and the IACP Bert Greene Award for her journalism. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and numerous national magazines, including Culture, Saveur and Food & Wine. (www.janetfletcher.com)
Erin Harris
Erin Harris is a classically trained Chef with a specialized diploma in Italian Cuisine. Erin went on to study cheese under Max McCalman at Artisanal in NYC and successfully obtained the CCP® status with the American Cheese Society. Erin was also one of the 2014 recipients of the John Crompton Memorial Scholarship and participated in the ACS annual conference in Sacramento, California. Erin owned a successful farmers market cheese shop for 2.5 years as The Cheese Poet, and now manages cheese in Ottawa for Sobeys Urban Fresh.
Crystal Schroeder
Crystal Schroeder is what her friends and family like to call the “accidental” cheesemonger. She’d really love to say that her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology helps every day within her chosen career, but psychology has become her hobby and cheese has become her passion. For over ten years at Sendik’s Food Markets in Wisconsin Crystal was the head cheesemonger in the Mequon location. While working behind the counter she was awarded the honor of being Sartori Cheese Company and Culture Magazine’s first Sartori scholar. This afforded her the ability to sit for the American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional Exam® in 2015 which she passed. In her newest role as the Cheese Buyer for Sendik’s Food Markets Crystal does the cheese purchasing for all 14 locations, sets new stores up, does the merchandising and ad planning, and she coaches the cheese mongers at all locations.
Lassa Skinner
Thalassa (Lassa) Skinner is co-founder/owner of Culture, the first general consumer magazine focusing on cheese. She has been involved with the cheese industry in multiple capacities, from monger (Formaggio Kitchen, Boston) to General Manager (Oxbow Cheese Merchant, Napa, CA), author (Cheese For Dummies, Wiley, 2012) and educator (Cheese School of San Francisco, plus ongoing events/classes nationwide).
Rules and Notifications:
All scholarships awarded are dependent upon donations via our GoFundMe Campaign. If donations do not meet goal, then partial or no scholarships will be awarded. The Cheese Study Group and its Administrators will not be held liable if no scholarships are awarded due to lack of adequate donations. Donate here. Everyone who donates $100.00 or more, will be recognized when winner(s) are announced (unless they choose to remain anonymous).
Scholarships anticipated to be awarded will be:
One scholarship of up to $2500.00 for 2017 ACS CCP exam® candidate in Denver, which will take place on July 26, 2017. The Scholarship can only be used for exam fees, ACS conference attendance fee, transportation to exam and conference (which includes 2017 ACS membership, if not already a member), hotel for up to 5 nights and miscellaneous expenses such as study books, food, etc. (If a scholarship winner lives within one hundred miles of Denver, the amount of the scholarship will be reduced to up to $2000.00. Also if a Denver-area resident winner chooses to not stay in hotel, then the scholarship will be reduced to up to $1250.00. A gas allowance will be added for Denver-area resident winner.)
One scholarship of up to $2000.00 for a current, in good standing ACS CCP® to attend the 2017 ACS conference in Denver. The Scholarship can only be used for ACS conference attendance fee (which includes 2017 ACS membership, if not already a member), transportation to conference, hotel and miscellaneous expenses such as food. (If a scholarship winner lives within one hundred miles of Denver, the amount of the scholarship will be reduced to $1500.00. Also if a Denver-area resident winner chooses to not stay in hotel, then the fee will be reduced to up to $750.00. A gas allowance will be added for Denver-area resident winner.)
Eligibility:
- ACS CCP exam® candidate applicants must meet all ACS qualifications and be accepted by ACS to take the 2017 exam. ACS CCP® applicants must be in good-standing with the ACS.
- If scholarship applicants’ employers, associations and/or companies (such as Kroger/Murray’s, Whole Food Markets, ANCO, DPI, Gourmet Foods, WMMB, etc.) cover their expenses, then those applicants do not qualify for these scholarships. The purpose of these scholarships is to assist those who would have to pay their fees and expenses personally without assistance from their employers, companies and/or associations.
- Administrators of the Cheese Study Group (which numbers 11 and the list is available on the Cheese Study Group Member’s page on Facebook) are not eligible to apply for these scholarships.
- Winner(s) must volunteer and work 1 four-hour shift at the 2017 ACS Conference and attend at least 1 seminar each day of the conference.
- Winner(s) will be encouraged to write an essay after the conference and/or exam about their experiences and these essays will be published on websites of Administrators (including here on my website) and in the Cheese Study Group Page.
- Fill out entry form and answer the following question in 500 words or less (all essays must be original and written by applicant) Attach form and essay to the email entry and send to 2017CSGScholarship (@) gmail.com:
ACS CCP exam® candidates:
“Describe the significance of being a Certified Cheese Professional and its importance to the cheese industry in the US. List the ways the certification will benefit your position in the cheese community.”
ACS CCP®s:
“Describe the significance of attending the 2017 ACS Conference and its importance to the cheese industry in the US. List the ways the conference will benefit your position in the cheese community.”
Forms and essays (as word documents) must be submitted via email only by 5pm PT, March 31, 2017 to the following email address:
2017CSGScholarship (@) gmail.com
(If you need word doc of entry form, please email us and we’ll email to you.)
If scholarships are funded through fund-raising efforts, winners will be announced on April 30, 2017.
Winner(s) will be notified by email.
Pinnacle Bank and Ed Burton, CPA will oversee disbursement of funds.
This scholarship effort is not affiliated with nor endorsed by the ACS nor Facebook.
Form:
2017 Cheese Study Group ACS CCP® Scholarships for
ACS CCP®s and ACS CCP Exam® Candidates Entry Form
Required Information:
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| Email Address:
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| Telephone:
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| Name of current employer/trade association: | |
| Address of current employment/trade association: | |
| For internal use only
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Our thanks again to the judge for donating their time to assist us. And to all our Cheese Friends, please donate here. Everyone who donates $100.00 or more, will be recognized when winner(s) are announced (unless they choose to remain anonymous).
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