Prior to its destruction in the 2020 Glass Fire, the Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood was bustling with an array of talented culinary professionals. One such individual was Cameron Thompson, a young Black line cook from Los Angeles who tragically passed in a car accident in 2019. Today, Thompson’s legacy lives on through a scholarship foundation established by his mother, Tracie Thompson, and by Christopher and Martina Kostow, founders of the popular Loveski Deli. Created in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the scholarship is helping pave the way for a more diverse future in the restaurant and hospitality industry, offering more Black culinary students access to professional training and increasing the chances of working at the Michelin level.
“I always told Cameron that it’s important to see yourself in the role you want, and our young people don’t see a lot of Black chefs excelling at that level,” says Tracie. “But I told him, you could always be the first. Why not you?”
While Cameron’s own journey did not take him through the CIA, the school was chosen for the scholarship as it is widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college. But for many, it’s cost prohibitive and therefore inaccessible, putting numerous aspiring chefs at a disadvantage right from the start.
“In all my years as a chef and being in the position to hire people, I could count on one hand the number of African American applicants I’d see,” says Christopher Kostow, who was executive chef at Meadowood while Thompson was there. “And there’s a lot of barriers to entry, one of which is the expense of culinary school, the other being the ability to take jobs based on where you’d learn the most versus where you’ll be paid enough to live.”
That’s where the Cameron Thompson Legacy Scholarship comes in. Not only does it cover full tuition and room and board for students pursuing the college’s 18-month associate degree program, it also provides assistance with externship placement as well as access to a mentorship group, giving students the chance to engage with prominent Black chefs like Marcus Samuelsson and Nina Compton.
“Without the legacy scholarship, I wouldn’t have finished my second semester of culinary school,” says Devon Henderson, who prior to receiving the scholarship was working two jobs, going to school and delivering food to make ends meet. “The scholarship alleviated the stress of not having enough to pay for everything, and certainly allowed me to focus more on my schoolwork.” He obtained his degree from the CIA in San Antonio in 2023 and has now completed stages (trial shifts in professional kitchens) at The French Laundry, Che Fico and Kiln.
The scholarships will be offered in perpetuity, and their ongoing existence is made possible by donations, as well as significant support from fundraising events and generous benefactors. And at Chef Kostow’s Charter Oak restaurant, a portion of proceeds from the seasonal Yurt reservations go toward the scholarship.
“We’ve been very lucky in our position and have enjoyed a good deal of success,” says Kostow. “And I think that when people work for you, you’re kind of responsible for them in some fashion.”
Tracie raised Cameron to give back, making this scholarship a fitting way to honor him. “It’s so important to reach back and pull someone else up, to give someone the education and connections to strive to work on that kind of level,” she says.
