Sullivan University culinary student receives scholarship in honor of late Sullivan alumni

The American Culinary Federation, APRON Inc., a Kentucky based non-profit that provides aid to employees of Louisville’s independently run restaurants, and Sullivan University have banded together to provide a student of Sullivan a $3,000 scholarship. 

The scholarship is being awarded in memory of the late Chef Nick Sullivan, who was a graduate of Sullivan University, who was serving as the executive chef at the Louisville Marriott Downtown, and who passed away earlier this year. The recipient of the scholarship is Sullivan University student DeAnn Ransdell.

In an article posted on Sullivan University’s website, APRON President Gary Fox talked about the memory of Chef Sullivan, saying, "Nick was very proud of his connection to Sullivan and had worked with many interns over the years. He was also a big supporter of APRON. Our board wanted to honor his memory and could think of no better way than to help out another up and coming young culinary professional. At Nick’s memorial service Chef Charlie Shunnarah from the American Culinary Federation offered to come in with APRON on this scholarship and matched our amount to make the grand total $3,000."

APRON Inc. is an organization dedicated to supporting employees of independent restaurants in the Louisville community who are in great financial need through no fault of their own, but due to conditions such as natural disasters, floods, injury, house fires, and illness.

APRON was founded back in 2011, and since then the organization has given over $1 million in grants, with almost half of that figure being distributed in the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fox went on to state the mission of APRON, saying, "Our aim is to lighten the load for these hard-working people."

David Keene, vice president for community partnerships at Sullivan University, weighed in on the positive influence of APRON, saying, "APRON is a wonderful organization helping those dedicated to the food service industry that are also in need. In the spirit of their missions, APRON and the American Culinary Federation have joined together to recognize one of their own who contributed so much for the culinary arts profession. In addition, Sullivan University is proud to recognize Chef Nick as one of our alumni, and we are grateful to be a part of this effort to celebrate his many achievements and successes. The University and the scholarship recipient, Ms. Ransdell, are both humbled by this recognition."

Fox has spent a decade and a half working in high end Louisville restaurants, and in that time has had many positive experiences with Sullivan University graduates and interns from the school’s culinary program.

He spoke highly of these experiences and students, saying, "I was always impressed by the professionalism they showed and their willingness to learn and then pass on their knowledge to the next generation. I worked 30 years in New York City, and honestly these young people come as well prepared into the workplace as any I’ve ever seen."

APRON was founded by Fox and other members of the local restaurant industry after a local chef and friend fell ill and was no longer able to pay his bills. This chef had no health insurance, so Fox and others worked together to hold a fundraiser with the intention of helping to pay his medical bills.

Fox talked about this inciting incident, saying, "During the fundraiser a bunch of us had the idea of a safety net of some sort for the Independent community, and APRON was born. I brought the idea to my friend, the late chef Dean Corbett, to get his thoughts and he said that that need had been recognized for a long time, but no one was willing to take it on. Dean asked how he could help and I said that we could use $800 seed money to apply for our non-profit status," Fox recalled. "He pulled out his checkbook and we were on our way."

More information about Sullivan University can be found on the school’s website.