Culinology Scholarships Help Research Chefs Grow Skills and Careers

Mark Crowell Appointed to Culinology Scholarship Foundation
Board of Directors of the Research Chefs Association.

“Education has had a tremendous impact on my life,” says Mark Crowell, founder of CuliNEX. “I have seen the opportunities and the doors that have been opened through education.” Because education is so important to Crowell, it’s a great honor to announce that he has been appointed for an additional term on the Culinology Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors of the Research Chefs Association.

The RCA Culinology Scholarship Foundation

The Research Chefs Association (RCA) is a professional group for individuals who are involved in food product development. The members of the RCA typically make food products at an industrial scale in food manufacturing plants, as opposed to chefs who are making food in restaurants one plate at a time. “Basically, everything you see in a grocery store is made in a food manufacturing facility,” says Crowell.

RCA owns the term Culinology®, a term that describes the practice of combining a mastery of culinary arts and the technical expertise of food science. Culinology can also be broadly defined as the practice of making food at scale. “RCA teaches and promotes Culinology®,” said Crowell. “At the end of the day, it's about making great, delicious, safe food products for consumers.”

Education for Research Chefs

Education is core to the RCA mission. The RCA Culinology Scholarship Foundation helps Culinology students by providing financial opportunities to learn and grow professionally. Some of the colleges that have 4-year Bachelor of Science Culinology programs include, Drexel University, Mississippi State University, and Southwest Minnesota State University, among others.

A scholarship foundation has been associated with RCA for at least 20 years. Many of the students that have benefited from an RCA Culinology Scholarship have enjoyed wonderful careers in food product development.

Providing scholarships to aspiring Research Chefs is so important to Crowell that for five years during the great recession, when many people were losing their jobs and couldn't afford tuition, Mark and his company CuliNEX, stepped in and provided an extra $4,000 a year directly to supplement RCA scholarships.

Education: Important To Mark Crowell

Crowell’s work on the Culinology Scholarship Foundation allows him to pave the way for others. Education is a foundational value for Crowell. “My dad had an eighth-grade education,” said Crowell. “I got to graduate from an Ivy League college with an MBA. I also got to go to the best culinary school in the world, the Culinary Institute of America. And I went to a very well-known hotel restaurant school.” With his educational bona fides, Crowell went on to leadership roles at The Olive Garden, Starbucks, and the consulting company he founded, CuliNEX.

Crowell’s dad was an auto mechanic who wanted to see his son follow him in that career. When Crowell told him that working with cars was not the right career for him, his father was supportive. Crowell recalls his father saying, “You don't want to work in my shop. That's great: you don't like working on cars as much as I do. But let me just give you a piece of advice.”

Crowell Family Advice

Crowell’s father then offered this wisdom: “Learn how to do something with your hands. If you learn how to do something with your hands, you will never be out of a job.” All chefs, of course, work with their hands. And Crowell’s career has been a long series of fulfilling roles. Crowell’s dad provided financial help that allowed his son to attend culinary school. That backing was a powerful catapult for Crowell’s career.

Though Crowell chose a different career path than his father, the two are alike in important ways. “My dad was an entrepreneur, just like I am, just like his father was,” said Crowell. “That part runs in the family.” Crowell founded CuliNEX in 2005, and 20 years later it is now a leading food product development consultancy.

CuliNEX specializes in creating new and improved Clean Label food products, in just about every food category. The Culinologists at CuliNEX work with brand owners, food manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice operators, helping them bring delicious, sustainable products to market.

Passing on the Impact of Education

“Education has had a tremendous impact on my life. I am part of this board because I want to give out more scholarships,” said Crowell. “Not everybody is fortunate, like I was, to have a dad who said, ‘If you want to go to chef school, I'll help you.’” Now Crowell, like his own dad, is helping young chefs gain knowledge and opportunities through his work on the RCA Culinology Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors.