Feed Your Community, Feed Your Soul
Food is more than our jobs. Food is our responsibility to the community. Philanthropic and charitable activity is central to our concept of hospitality. The CSCA community is generous with time, energy, funds, and the use of school resources to support causes important to us. Visit us at one of our upcoming events.
Recent Events
CSCA Donates 200 Cupcakes for Mother’s Day!
- For Mother’s Day 2022, CSCA was thrilled to donate 200 cupcakes for the patrons and staff of one our favorite organizations, Women’s Lunch Place. WLP is a daytime shelter on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay that assists vulnerable women experiencing poverty and homelessness by offering nutritious meals, personal advocacy, nap and shower facilities, medical care, and support services.
CSCA’s Annual Holiday Charity Bake Sale: Cancelled for 2020 and 2021 – BUT YOU CAN STILL SUPPORT!
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, CSCA will not be hosting our annual Charity Bake Sale. We encourage you to please donate to the following non-profit organizations that would normally receive 100% of the proceeds raised from this event. They need your support more than ever!
Click the green buttons to donate to one or both of these amazing organizations!
- Community Cooks, a neighborhood organization that mobilizes individuals, businesses, civic, educational and faith-based groups to offer home prepared food to vulnerable neighbors seeking assistance from human service agencies, students working to improve their lives in after school programs and families struggling with food insecurity.
- Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay that assists vulnerable women experiencing poverty and homelessness by offering nutritious meals, personal advocacy, nap and shower facilities, medical care, and support services.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to bringing back our much beloved bake sale in 2021!
CSCA’s Annual Holiday Charity Bake Sale: Our Biggest Fundraising Event!
UPDATE: On February 11, 2020 CSCA proudly presented donation checks for $6,250 to Women’s Lunch Place and $6,250 to Community Cooks for a total donation of $12, 500!!! Thank you to the CSCA Community for all of your support!
On December 14, 2019 from 10am – 1pm, we held our biggest, most exciting, fundraiser ever! This year, hundreds of people braved the rain and came out to buy holiday treats, gifts, and more, helping us raise over $12,000! 100% of every dollar raised will once again be divided between two fantastic organizations who will again benefit from our holiday bake sale:
- Community Cooks, a neighborhood organization that mobilizes individuals, businesses, civic, educational and faith-based groups to offer home prepared food to vulnerable neighbors seeking assistance from human service agencies, students working to improve their lives in after school programs and families struggling with food insecurity.
- Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay that assists vulnerable women experiencing poverty and homelessness by offering nutritious meals, personal advocacy, nap and shower facilities, medical care, and support services.
We sold CSCA favorites including cinnamon rolls, decorated cookies, Buche de Noel, French Macarons, brownies, bars, chocolates, candy, breads, stocking stuffers, and so much more! We also held our annual raffle, selling raffle tickets to win exceptional prizes from gift certificates to local restaurants, cookware, wine, cookbooks from local chefs, etc. In addition we had our first silent auction items – a Breville Nespresso Machine and capsules donated by Effectv, and a 10 pc All Clad Stainless Steel Cookware Set donated by Crown Linen Service.
Thank you to all our vendor partners and local businesses that donated incredible prizes to help us with our cause!
We thank everyone who showed up and supported this great event!
Recent 2019 Events
Pie in the Sky
CSCA is proud to bake and donate apple and pecan pies annually for #PieInTheSky, Community Servings’ Thanksgiving bake sale! Proceeds from each pie provides a week’s worth of meals for a critically ill client. Their meals are made from scratch and medically tailored, meeting the needs of their clients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other devastating illnesses.
Pie sales last year raised $760,000 to feed Community Servings’ critically ill clients and their families! This year, CSCA chef instructors and students baked 5o Apple and 5o Pecan pies the weekend before Thanksgiving in support of this incredible fundraiser.
Rodman Celebration for Kids
This December, CSCA cooked up a delicious Cherry Wood Smoked Pork Belly appetizer in support of Rodman for Kids, an organization that provides vital programs that allow at-risk kids to have a brighter holiday season and receive year-round support.
Funds raised through Celebration for Kids, including 100% of all silent and live auction bids, support Greater Boston organizations that, through a myriad of programs and resources, work to brighten the lives of at-risk kids during the holiday season and all year long.
Festivities took place on Saturday, December 7, 2019.
Party Under the Harvest Moon
This October, Food For Free will again throw their biggest fundraiser of the year, and CSCA is proud to be donating food in support. Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach under-served populations. They are working toward a future where everyone in our community—regardless of age, income or ability—has consistent access to fresh, healthy, delicious food.
Festivities take place Friday, October 18, 2019.
Check Presentation to Community Cooks - 2/11/2020
Check Presentation to Women's Lunch Place - 2/11/2020
Why we support Community Cooks
The Whim Dinner Series at Smolak Farms, June 30, 2021.
Whim is a unique “pop up” dining experience held every Wednesday evening from June to August at Smolak Farms. Join some of New England’s finest Chefs as they cook you a multi-course dinner in the Smolak Farms Pine Grove. A “Farm to Table” experience, much of the produce used in our dinners is grown at our farm, so you will experience the seasonal fruits and vegetables. Menus will be posted at least 2 weeks before each dinner. The Guest Chefs will create their menus on a “Whim” based on the freshest produce available from Smolak Farms.
After teaching culinary arts in our Recreational department since 2014, Chef Jerrod Perry has since been promoted to Director of Recreational Programs and Events. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu classic French culinary arts school, Chef Jerrod worked as an Executive Chef, Head Pastry Chef, and owned a private catering business in Hawaii for over 7 years before moving to Cambridge to explore his passion for culinary education. Chef Jerrod oversees all recreational classes and private events at CSCA, and acts as head chef for external events, working with students from our Professional Programs. He always welcomes requests for specific classes, private event inquiries, and recommendations of any type.
“When I look out at a dining table and see guests eating, smiling, drinking, sharing the food I’ve created … I realize the food is the catalyst. It brings us together. And if it’s seasoned just right, walls come down and glasses raise.”
Chef Simone Montali worked in his hometown of Florence, Italy at a bakery and then in high-end catering for four years before jetting off to attend CSCA. Chef Simone achieved Valedictorian status of both the Professional Chef’s Program in 2012 and the Professional Pastry Program in 2013. He then went on to work with Accardi Foods, one of the largest Italian and specialty food distributors in New England, and as the Pastry Chef at Bistro 5. Chef Simone is now Academic Supervisor at CSCA and teaches in both the Pastry and Culinary Professional Programs. Chef Simone can be found leading the charge at many CSCA events.
“I have always loved the more intellectual element of food, and I find that the pastry arts are very satisfactory in this respect. At first glance, you start with a complicated set of rules, but once you develop a deeper understanding of what lays behind these rules, you can enhance and perfect your craft with exquisite treats that both follow and break traditional guidelines.”
MENU
Amuse Bouche
Lemongrass and Cilantro Pork Rillettes Vol au Vent, Pickled Radishes, Radish Greens
1st Course: Salad
Sesame, Sumac and Yogurt Zucchini Slaw, Herbed Goat Cheese, Spicy Candied Pepitas, Mixed Greens
2nd Course: Pasta
Caramelle with Ricotta, Roasted Garlic and Lemon Filling,
Pea and Arugula Pesto, Parmesan Frico
3rd Course: Main
Rosemary and Ancho Grilled Strip Steaks, Black Garlic Compound Butter, Herbed Potato Purée, Kale Chips, Charred Scallion Salsa Verde
4th Course: Dessert Trio
Cherry and Salted Caramel Macarons
Dark Chocolate Crémeaux Tartlet, Fresh Cherries, Port Reduction
Basil Semifreddo, Pistachio Streusel, Cherry Compote
CSCA’s Chosen Charity: COMMUNITY COOKS mobilizes individuals, businesses, civic, educational and faith-based groups to offer home-prepared food to vulnerable neighbors seeking assistance from human service agencies, students working to improve their lives in after school programs, and families struggling with food insecurity.
Let’s Talk About Food The 2019
Saving the Planet One Bite At A Time
Saturday, September 28th, 2019 from 10am -4:00pm
Harvard University Dining Services and Let’s Talk About Food hosted their annual, fun-filled and inspiring day of cooking, demonstrations, hands-on skills, and tastings, innovations and explorations. CSCA participated with our Chef Instructors Chef Jerrod Perry and Chef Simone Montali. They performed several demonstrations on techniques, presentation, and of course their dishes were delicious. The event was held at the Plaza at the Harvard Science Center, One Oxford Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. The event was free and open to the public. We look forward to next year’s event.
The 2019 Taste of WGBH Food and Wine Festival
The Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival is considered the largest food and wine festival in New England! Attendees enjoy delicious food trends, educational seminars offering insight into the minds of chefs, live music from some of today’s best artists, and the most refreshing adult beverages from around the globe.
CSCA was a sponsor and participant at the weekend-long WGBH Food and Wine Festival. Current culinary and pastry program students assisted local chefs and served the tastiest food around, while learning from the best in the business throughout the festival and at the Artisan Taste.
Ultimate Food Rescue
On Tuesday, June 25, we joined many local chefs to demonstrate that recovered food (and at times ugly) tastes good with a little bit of creativity and a lot of heart. Like Three Squares New England, we believe that reducing food waste in commercial and home kitchens can curb the alarming 40% of food that gets wasted each year. Chefs Jerrod Perry and Sean Leonard took part in the friendly competition to create something from food that otherwise might have ended up in the compost bin.
They prepared two dishes for the 170 + attendees:
- grilled ginger and citrus beef served with mango salsa on a chip
- blackened, stuffed chile pepper with whipped ricotta and summer squash
The organizations benefiting from the $32,000+ this event raised include: A Place to Turn, Boston Area Gleaners, Brookwood Community Farm, Centre St Food Pantry, Dedham Food Pantry, Food For Free, Food Link, Gaining Ground, JF&CS Family Table, Land’s Sake, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, Needham Community Council, Newton Food Pantry, Open Table, Food Project, Ripples of Hope, Urban Farming Institute, Waltham Fields Community Farm, and Women’s Lunch Place.
No Kid Hungry’s Taste of the Nation
No Kid Hungry’s culinary events highlight the nation’s finest talent in the food and drink industry, all united under one cause: ending childhood hunger. Each year these events raise the critical funds needed to support No Kid Hungry’s work to ensure that all children in America get the healthy food they need, every day.
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. After 25 years of successfully investing in local nonprofits and helping find the best approaches to eradicating poverty and hunger, Share Our Strength launched No Kid Hungry in 2010.
We joined many of our alumni and friends at Boston’s Taste of the Nation June 4, 2019 to serve sweet and savory cupcakes to the hundreds of philanthropic foodies who attended.
Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer Bake Sale
CSCA chef instructors baked up a storm to support breast cancer research and care. We sold Mothers’ Day themed sweets at an open house at our school and raised $1,600 to donate to breast cancer research and care.
Boston Bakes is part of a larger national campaign that features desserts from the greatest chefs, pastry chefs and culinary artists in town. Bakes for Breast Cancer raises money for breast cancer research one sweet at a time through dessert-oriented events. Their grassroots nonprofit organization has one goal: to end breast cancer in our lifetime.
The 20th Annual Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer took place May 6-12, 2019 and CSCA joined the fundraising on May 11 from 10am – 12pm!
A Taste of Ginger
CSCA donated time and Chicken Adobo with Spring Vegetables to raise funds to support Joslin Diabetes Center, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes and ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives.
The $225,000 raised through A Taste of Ginger benefit Joslin Diabetes Center’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI). For over a decade, the AADI has made substantial advances to enhance the quality of life and health outcomes for Asian Americans living with diabetes, through research, education, outreach and culturally appropriate treatments.
Festivities took place on Monday, March 25, 2019.
2018 Events
The CSCA Holiday Bake Sale: Our Biggest Fundraising Event!
On December 15th from 10am – 2pm, hundreds of people came out to buy holiday treats, gifts, and more, helping us raise $10,000! All proceeds were divided between two fantastic organizations:
- Community Cooks, a neighborhood organization that mobilizes individuals, businesses, civic, educational and faith-based groups to offer home prepared food to vulnerable neighbors seeking assistance from human service agencies, students working to improve their lives in after school programs and families struggling with food insecurity.
- Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay that assists vulnerable women experiencing poverty and homelessness by offering nutritious meals, personal advocacy, nap and shower facilities, medical care, and support services.
We sold CSCA favorites including cinnamon rolls, decorated cookies, Buche de Noel, French Macarons, stocking stuffers, and so much more! We also sold raffle tickets to win exceptional prizes from cooking classes to signed cookbooks from local chefs.
In 2017, we raised $7,200 to donate to our neighbors in need and we were thrilled to give back even more in 2018 and look forward to our next holiday bake sale!
Giving back never tasted so sweet.
Rodman Celebration for Kids
CSCA donated time and Jiaozi to raise funds to support Rodman for Kids, an organization that provides vital programs that allow at-risk kids to have a brighter holiday season and receive year-round support.
Funds raised through Celebration for Kids, including 100% of all silent and live auction bids, support Greater Boston organizations that, through a myriad of programs and resources, work to brighten the lives of at-risk kids during the holiday season and all year long.
Festivities took place on Saturday, December 1, 2018.
Party Under the Harvest Moon
On Friday, October 19, Food For Free threw their biggest fundraiser of the year, and CSCA is proud to be donating food in support. Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach under-served populations. They are working toward a future where everyone in our community—regardless of age, income or ability—has consistent access to fresh, healthy, delicious food.
Festivities took place Friday, October 19, 2018.
Cambridge Camping’s 125th Birthday
Since 1893, Cambridge Camping has served children from under-resourced families by providing exceptional summer camp programs. They offer affordable day camps and overnight partner-camps, which provide engaging and enriching experiences to children with limited access to these opportunities.
We joined them to help raise over $150,000 in donations and celebrate 125 years of opportunities to to build friendships, interact with nature, and develop healthy behaviors. CSCA catered the backyard birthday bash with camp-themed treats and Opera Cake.
Festivities took place on Saturday, September 29, 2018.
Pie in the Sky
CSCA is proud to bake apple and pecan pies annually for #PieInTheSky, Community Servings’ Thanksgiving bake sale! Proceeds from each pie provides a week’s worth of meals for a critically ill client. Their meals are made from scratch and medically tailored, meeting the needs of their clients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other devastating illnesses.
Pie sales on November 19, 2018 raised $760,000 to feed Community Servings’ critically ill clients and their families!
WGBH Food and Wine Festival
The Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival is considered the largest food and wine festival in New England! Attendees enjoy delicious food trends, educational seminars offering insight into the minds of chefs, live music from some of today’s best artists, and the most refreshing adult beverages from around the globe.
CSCA signed up to support our local public media at the weekend-long WGBH Food and Wine Festival. Current students helped chefs and staff serve the tastiest food around, while learning from the best in the business throughout the festival and at the Brunch Bar.
Fluff Festival
The 13th annual What the Fluff Festival featured musical performances, a cooking contest, Fluff-themed games, activities, antics and fun for every age, and Fluff treats of every sort in Union Square.
CSCA sold Peanut Butter & Fluff and Peanut Butter & Black Currant French Macarons and donated all of the proceeds ($1000!) to Community Cooks, a neighborhood organization that mobilizes individuals, businesses, and groups to offer home prepared food to vulnerable neighbors struggling with food insecurity.
This free event took place on Saturday, September 22, 2018.