Cameron Thompson Legacy Scholarship

Cameron was a charming and warm young man; his creativity, enthusiasm, and joy were contagious. His passing left a profound impact on his colleagues at The Restaurant at Meadowood, including Christopher and Martina Kostow who together with Cameron’s mother, Tracie, and The Culinary Institute of America, established this scholarship to help increase access to professional culinary training as a pathway toward robust careers in food and hospitality for aspiring African American chefs.

The Cameron Thompson Legacy Scholarship will support diverse students pursuing the college’s 18-month Associate Degree program. Thanks to this scholarship, students would be able to participate in a rigorous, state-of-the-art, hands-on program in culinary arts or baking and pastry arts under the direction of prominent CIA chef-faculty and instructors.

Scholarships at the CIA: For nearly 75 years, The Culinary Institute of America has been widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college. The CIA is a private, not-for-profit college, and scholarship support is often the determining factor in a student’s ability to pursue, and complete, a CIA education. The college’s programs provide the foundation of training, knowledge, and skills for professional achievement.

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Our First Recipient

Within its first year of inception, efforts from The Charter Oak team and our generous donors provided the opportunity to award The Legacy Scholarship's first recipient. Devon Henderson is attending The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park and will be completing his 18-month Associate Degree program early 2023.

"This scholarship has helped me immensely throughout my education at CIA. Not only in terms of financial aid but also the connections I've made with the chefs involved, having the ability to ask questions and have a mentor to talk to when needed." - Devon Henderson