Scholarship and Stipend Recipients

Since 2003 the Austin chapter has given over $300,000 in scholarships and culinary stipends. In 2024, the Austin chapter awarded over $40,000 in scholarships, professional development stipends and grants to 18 women who used the funds for a wide range of opportunities such as being a vendor at the Specialty Coffee Expo, attending Black Women in Food conference, Beekeeping Certification, continuing wine education with WSET studies, and more.

2025 Scholarship Recipients

Sarah Lim - Michelle Lee Legacy Scholarship (2025)

I’m Owner and Lead Arthritic Hands of OMG Squee, a gluten free, Asian inspired dessert shop in East Austin. Burnt out by 10+ years as a freelance photographer, I needed a new career. Commercial agencies told me I was too “quirky.” Too “clever.”. So instead of trying to convince them I wasn't “too” much, with $300, I created a vision for my own brand, took a self-taught crash course in baking, and started OMG Squee out of my tiny home in 2017, expanding to a brick-and-mortar in Jan. 2020.

OMG Squee still echos the same "quirky" sentiment as my work as a creative, while also paying homage to my cooking interests and Asian-American culture. As a 2nd-generation mixed- heritage Chinese-American, my main tangible ties to my culture are through my third-culture food experiences. OMG Squee is my love letter to the extra kids, living with a hangry 400lb inner child.

Heejae Galluccio - Travel Food (2025)

I was born in Korea and moved to Houston, Texas when I was sixteen years old. After high school, I enrolled at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. After I graduated, I cooked at some of the best restaurants in New York including Charlie Palmer’s flagship Aureole and Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern. I moved to Austin in 2020 to help lead the opening of a hotel restaurant before becoming a member of the Birdie’s opening team. I was promoted to Executive Sous Chef in 2023.

Angelica McPhee - Travel Beverage (2025)

My name is Angie McPhee, and you caught me during my transformative years in which I've tried to reinvent my personal bio about ten times over.
On paper, I'm a wife, a mother to two girls under four, a former Texas public school teacher, and current business owner. On a deeper level, I'd say I'm an active community member who never feels the job is quite done, a food and wine lover to a fault, and friend who will do anything to see her circle living their best lives as the truest versions of themselves.

Tess Vonderwell - Student (2025)

My Name is Tess M. Vonderwell. I am a student at Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. I work full time and I am a full time student. I moved to Austin from a farm in Ohio 6 months ago to start my career journey.

Francisca Tan - STudent (2025)

My name is Francisca Tan, my Culinary and Pastry begin in young ages. I was able to support myself and pay my own tuition since high school and able to travel around the world. While pursuing Pastry Art in NYC, I learned a lot by getting a part time job at a bakery, café, and Michelin star restaurant at dinner time. I was juggling between school and work for three years and moved to Philadelphia for fifteen years before moving to Texas. In Philadelphia, I was able to build a career as decorator/baker, open one million restaurants in Chinatown, a retail store, and won first place competition to build bake shops and café. I am detail oriented, organized, responsibility, hard work and independent. I moved to Austin 2016 and worked with Round Rock ISD since January 2017 up now as Cafeteria Food Service Manager.

Elisabeth Divito - Student (2025)

I am a current culinary and pastry student with five classes left to complete my degrees. Prior to attending culinary school, I was a registered nurse for 15 years. Working through the pandemic made me realize that I needed to pursue my life long dream of becoming a chef. Since making this huge life change, I have had the privilege of working as a fine dining prep cook where I learned so much. Currently I work for a caterer specializing in large events and I am also the baker at Becker Vineyards, one of the Texas Hill Country's oldest wineries. I look forward to continuing my education and completing an internship in 2026. Being in the kitchen has given me a new start and I am thrilled to continue growing into the chef I have always wanted to become.

Regan Davis - Food Travel (2025)

I am a young culinarian and undergraduate student studying the history of industrial agriculture, plant & soil science, and Spanish literature at Texas State University. I plan to use my scholarship to further my knowledge of sustainable cooking techniques such as fermentation and zero-waste restaurant models, and I am passionate about increasing food equity and sustainability throughout Central Texas. I’m from New Braunfels, and in my spare time I enjoy reading, attending local Austin music shows, or growing tomatoes on my balcony. I love this part of Texas, and I’m committed to working towards a better future for my friends and neighbors

Susan Davis - Food Travel (2025)

Susan embodies the quintessential American restaurant success story. Starting as a dishwasher, she mastered every position in the kitchen, working her way up to line cook and eventually restaurant manager. In 2009, she took her first entrepreneurial leap by launching a food trailer, followed by opening her own restaurant in 2012.
Known for her hands-on approach and deep understanding of restaurant operations, Susan has demonstrated remarkable resilience and business acumen throughout her career. After successfully running her restaurant for 11 years, she made the strategic decision to close in 2023 to pursue property ownership. Now, she's embarking on her most ambitious project yet: transforming a recently acquired commercial building into a new restaurant, set to open in fall 2025.
During this transitional period, she's investing in her continued education, exploring culinary programs in New York City and Mexico, reflecting her commitment to constant learning and evolution in the food industry.

Allie McMillan - Food Grant (2025)

Cooking has never been just a job for me. It’s my language, my craft, and my way of honoring tradition while making my own rules. As the founder of La Mapachita Tamaleria, I create tamales that celebrate heritage with a rebellious twist, using farm-driven ingredients and nixtamalized masa to bring new flavors to the forefront. My love for intentional cooking ensures that every dish I create tells a story and drives my work as a personal chef, where I design unique dining experiences that are both thoughtful and refined.

Before launching my own ventures, I honed my skills in some of Austin’s best kitchens, including La Condesa and ATX Cocina. I played key roles in team development and helped shape a strong kitchen culture that influenced my approach to hospitality. That experience reinforced my belief that great food starts with great technique—but it should always have heart.

Rocio Leon - Food Grant (2025)

My passion for nutrition and food started early. I was born and raised in the U.S. but spent summers on my familia’s six-generation ranch in Jalisco, Mexico, where I loved learning about crops we grew and cooking alongside my abuelitas, especially making corn tortillas. These experiences gave me a deep appreciation for heritage, Mother Nature, and indigenous superfoods.

Back home, I worked in my family’s Mexican restaurants, where I saw how food brings people together. That passion led me to Austin for college, where I studied Supply Chain (Hook ‘em!) and focused my capstone project on food sourcing. My career took me around the world—Chile, Mexico, Peru, Spain—but no matter where I went, I packed tortillas because I missed them most.

A year ago, I created Tozi, named after Toci, the Aztec goddess of health, to share ancestral Mexican food made with indigenous superfoods like blue corn and amaranth.

Courtney Goodson - Food Education (2025)

Howdy! I'm Courtney Ray, Founder & CEO of Courtney Ray's Peanut Brittle. In the business of creating tomorrow's nostalgia today, we're a not just for profit company that offers a line of gourmet, better-for-you-brittle with vegan and dairy-free options! Rooted in a story of womens empowerment, and that helping others only sweetens the soul, in 2017 I officially founded Courtney Ray’s Peanut Brittle after helping support a friend from my 2 year service as a Peace Corps Volunteer who had big dreams but needed a miracle. Our top brittle flavors include Bacon Pecan and classic Peanut Brittle. Our brittle is now award-winning as we have been featured on the Hallmark Channel for World Peanut Brittle Day 2019, QVC, and Texas Country Reporter, a nationally syndicated show.

Emily Connell - Food Education (2025)

My name is Emily Connell, although my chef peers know me as Millie Huntz. I have a longstanding foundation of all service industry aspects with my focus the last 5 years revolving around culinary. I am currently the Head Chef in the Austin market for my Executive Chef, executing high volumes on the chef-to-consumer app, CookUnity. Through this position I have been able to strengthen my leadership skills, perfect my techniques, and enjoy the satisfaction of serving great food to regional customers. I enjoy learning through action and believe that’s what has propelled me to this point in my career. With guidance and an eagerness to continue learning I believe I have a bright future in the culinary industry.

Jill Paluch - Beverage Education (2025)

Detail oriented, organized, beer-lover who has worked in the Austin craft beer industry for 5 years, from bartender to packaging assistant to quality control. I love to set up sensory experiments for the team, test variables for an unusual fermentation, and track our progress over time. I’m a forever-learner with 11 years of teaching under my belt. Beer and science are my current obsessions.

Rebecca Seiler - AL LA Cart (2025)

Becca is a farmer and pop up producer in Austin, Texas. She runs foodie + tina, an urban farm and sushi concept, with her husband. She fell into the food world through a love of hospitality that began long before she knew how to use a meat thermometer, hosting dinner parties for her friends in her college dorm. Her passion is connecting people to nature through gardening and celebrating farmers and food producers near and far. She practices regenerative agriculture on her 1/2 acre urban farm in south central Austin.