Chef Kevin Brown, a co-creator of Chippewa Valley Technical College’s Culinary Management Program, was named 2019 Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation Minneapolis Chef’s Chapter early this year. Brown has been with the technical college for three years, working to establish a program that familiarizes students with all aspects of culinary management from front of house to back of house.

“The opportunity here was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I was fortunate enough to be selected for the job, so it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up,” Brown said. He considers the award to be a recognition not just of himself, but of the program as a whole, including Chef Jonathan Fike and instructional assistant Melissa Tok. “We’ve been recognized as doing something good in our community and I was just the one selected to represent that effort,” Brown said.

The Culinary Management program hosts pop-up shops, lunches, dinners, and sampling events that are open to CVTC students and the community, allowing Eau Claire residents to challenge students’ skills and enjoy some delicious eats. Brown is looking forward to further evolution of the program in the coming years.

Find out more about the CVTC Culinary Management Program at cvtc.edu.