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Virginia College News

Mary Schaefer has been named Program Director for the new Culinary Arts program at Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Jacksonville, Florida. She brings over eighteen years of culinary experience to the position. Schaefer is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef with the American Culinary Federation. She has extensive training with cooking schools such as The Culinary Institute of America, Notter School of Pastry Arts, The American Institute of Baking, and The University of Hawaii.

Schaefer's culinary arts experience includes pastry chef at The Sheraton Royal Hawaiian and Disney's Contemporary Resort and as a pastry/catering chef for Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Mary has appeared on the Do It Yourself Network, where she did a 30 minute show on cake decorating, and has appeared on several TV Food Network specials.

She has taught culinary and baking classes in Guam, China, the Marshall Islands, Hawaii, and in Orlando, Florida.

The new Jacksonville location is the first expansion of Culinard beyond its original cooking school in Birmingham, Alabama. The chef school has hundreds of successful graduates, and will bring its unique approach to culinary education to Northeast Florida with classes beginning in January. Students are already being enrolled for that class start. Students are in the teaching kitchens the very first day of class and are able to complete their degree in Culinary Arts in as little as 36 weeks. The immersion program teaches students the cooking skills most in demand by potential employees while allowing the freedom to exercise their creativity and get on-the-job experience.

Chef Antony Osborne, Academic Dean of Culinard, says, "We believe the things that set us apart from other culinary schools are our fast-track curriculum, our instructors and our facilities. The new Jacksonville kitchens and teaching environment are spectacular, and having Chef Schaefer to help build the staff assures we will continue the Culinard tradition in the new school."

For information about Virginia College in Jacksonville or the new Culinard location, contact Milton Anderson at 904-520-7400 or visit www.culinard.com or www.vc.edu/jacksonville. For information on enrolling in Virginia College or Culinard in Jacksonville, call Admissions at 904-520-7400 or visit www.vc.edu/jacksonville or www.culinard.com. Virginia College in Jacksonville and Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Jacksonville are located at 5940 Beach Boulevard, at the intersection of Beach and University.