Last week, US Foods Holding Corp., one of America’s leading foodservice distributors –announced its 2024 class of US Foods Scholars. This year’s class includes 18 students, who represent 10 schools from across the country and are pursuing 2- or 4-year post-secondary degrees in culinary arts, baking and pastry, chef training, or business management. Students will receive a scholarship of $20,000 to support their continued education, as well as development opportunities with US Foods culinary professionals.

Bristol’s Ann Daigle, a hospitality management major at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, is one of the 18 students awarded the scholarship.

Ann’s interest in the hospitality industry sprouted from a longtime passion for travel and world culture. Watching TV shows, such as The Amazing Race, and learning about the vast cultures and lifestyles unique to many regions of the world gave her big dreams at a young age. With a desire to spend her life traveling and making people smile through her work, Ann began cooking when she was 12, and her passion has only continued to grow since then.   

As a US Foods Scholar, Ann is looking forward to the chance to become a more well-rounded and informed person. In the future, she hopes to combine her love of traveling and helping others through a career in cruise ship hospitality.

Students like Ann were awarded the scholarship because they demonstrated outstanding potential and achievement in hospitality management, and the US Foods Scholars program aims to inspire students
to reach those goals in a competitive industry with growing popularity.

This scholarship comes at a critical time, as the restaurant industry faces a shrinking workforce and is projected to grow 8% over the next decade [2], faster than the national average, it’s imperative to build up the future of the culinary industry. The US Foods Scholars program does just that, providing both financial support and mentorship opportunities to prepare Ann for a successful career.