Our 2022 National Scholars are Ready for Their Next Step

Established in 1991, the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program assists aspiring and established culinary and food-focused professionals who plan to further their education in the culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management, and other related fields. As of 2022, the Foundation will have awarded nearly $9 million in financial aid to over 2,000 recipients. 

The National Scholars Program provides scholarships of $20,000 each to 12 food-focused individuals who plan to pursue an education in the culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management, and other related fields. To ensure regional diversity, one awardee is selected from each of the 12 geographic regions defined by the James Beard Foundation Awards.* 

The 2022 JBF National Scholars are: 

• Bryant A'Hearn (Las Vegas): A’Hearn is attending the University of Southern California, and hopes to study sociological and geopolitical issues through the lens of food, travel, and the human experience. 

• Julian Bernal (Provo, UT): Bernal is currently studying food business management with a focus in the culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. In the future, Bernal hopes to compete on Top Chef and open a fine-dining Mexican restaurant.  

• Grace Campidilli (Johnson, IA): Campidilli is pursuing undergraduate degrees in statistics and plant science from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Her current interests revolve around using machine learning and robotics as a way to reduce food waste.  

• Katie Clondas (East Falmouth, MA): Clondas will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in food business management and culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America. Her goal is to own and operate a farm-to-table restaurant that will be accessible to all.  

• Allayah Jewell (Glen Burnie, MD): Jewell is attending Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She hopes to use her degree to provide healthy, easy, and affordable meals to her community.  

• Malik Karim (Chicago): Karim is currently attending Kendall College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management at National Louis University. In the future, he plans to open a modern, queer-inclusive Palestinian bakery to honor his family’s traditional recipes.  

• Katerina Roth (Ithaca, NY): Roth is a second-year Ph.D. student in the food science department at Cornell University. With the support of this scholarship, she hopes to pursue her goals of bridging innovative food research with industry-focused scientific communication to promote sustainability in food production. 

• Ashley Torrijos (Marina Del Rey, CA): Torrijos is currently pursuing her master's degree in food industry leadership at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. She plans to use her degree to create better equity and accessibility for both industry workers and guests. 

• Madison Townsend (Lexington, KY): Townsend is currently pursuing her associate's degree in baking and pastry arts at Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky. 

• Leo Uyekawa (Bainbridge Island, WA): Uyekawa will attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York to study culinary arts and business management. His goal is to expand his skill set in the industry and to continue to create food that is sustainable, tells a story, and connects people around the world. 

• Victoria Wooten (Fresno, TX): Wooten is currently pursuing a culinary degree at Johnson & Wales University. One of Wooten’s goals is to serve food at the Olympics.  

• Pierce Ziebarth (Albany, LA): Ziebarth is pursuing his associate degree in baking, pastry, and the culinary arts at Louisiana Culinary Institute. Upon graduation, Ziebarth plans to attend an apprenticeship/internship to hone his skills. 

Read the full press release here.

Learn more about our National Scholars program and other James Beard Foundation scholarships. 

*California, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, New York State, Northeast, Northwest & Pacific, South, Southeast, Southwest, and Texas.