SNHU Chef Vicki Connell Named to Cooking Matters Hall of Fame

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gregg Mazzola                                                                               
Director of Communications
Southern New Hampshire University                                                               

603.314.1461                                                                                     
g.mazzola@snhu.edu  

SNHU Chef Inducted into Share our Strength’s
Cooking Matters Hall of Fame

Manchester, N.H. (Nov. 17, 2010) - Southern New Hampshire University's Chef Vicki Connell was recently inducted into the Cooking Matters™ Hall of Fame by Share Our Strength. Chef Connell was recognized for her volunteer work with Cooking Matters™ (formerly Operation Frontline) which is an organization that brings together local culinary and nutrition professionals to teach hands-on cooking courses to low-income families. Connell is the first Hall of Fame inductee from New Hampshire.

The Cooking Matters™ Hall of Fame recognizes volunteers who have taught at least 15 class series, totaling 90 classes or about 180 hours. Only 28 dedicated educators have been presented with this honor since the Hall of Fame's opening in 2001. Chef Connell has been with the Cooking Matters™ program since July 2000 and has motivated countless students in that time.

Chef Connell is an associate professor in SNHU's Culinary Program and has written and taught curricula for the pastry arts program since 1985. She has been featured as an on-set chef on Public Television's "Country Inn Cooking with Gail Greco" and in the American Culinary Federation's video series to accompany the text "Baking Fundamentals." Connell has been previously awarded a National Restaurant Association's teacher work-study grant and a Women Chef's and Restaurateur's Bread Baking Internship with Amy's Break in NYC. She currently resides in Hooksett with her husband and two children.

Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters™ offers classes to teach low-income families how to provide tasty, healthy meals on a budget. Volunteers teach cooking techniques to stretch ingredients across multiple meals and to get the most nutritional value. Cooking Matters™ is locally sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, nationally sponsored by ConAgra Food Foundations and hosted by the New Hampshire Food Bank. For more information please visit www.cookingmatters.org.

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