C·CAP Launches Miami Advisory Council

Introducing the C•CAP Miami Advisory Council

Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) is thrilled to launch the Miami Advisory Council, a distinguished group of leaders committed to expanding culinary and career opportunities for young people across the city,

The council will be led by Chair Marco de Ceglie, a dual Italian-American former global executive whose 43-year international career includes leadership roles at Unilever, De Cecco, American Rice Inc., Grupo SOS, and SALOV North America (Filippo Berio). His long-standing support of C•CAP makes him an invaluable partner in growing our Miami chapter. Joining him are:

• Karen Brenker – Former chef/caterer and product specialist at Zwilling JA Henckels, leading the company’s new Culinary Education division across the Southeast.
• Norman Van Aken – Celebrated as “Florida’s Culinary Icon,” James Beard honoree, pioneer of Fusion cuisine, and one of the founders of New American Cuisine.

Together, this council will help guide C•CAP’s mission of empowering the next generation of leaders in food & hospitality.

Marco de Ceglie 

Dual citizenship – Italian/American – experienced former Corporate Executive, Marco grew up in Rome where he took a university degree summa cum laude in Economics and Business Administration. Retired from full time employment after a 43-year international career, for the last 3 years in Miami (FL) he has been advising Italian food companies on how to approach and develop the American market. Previously, he was CEO of SALOV North America (Filippo Berio Olive Oil), and a Member of the North America Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) Executive Committee (EC) and then the Chairman of the NAOOA EC. Before, Marco has spent several years in the USA as CEO of PMI De Cecco USA (De Cecco pasta) out of New York NY and as CEO of American Rice Inc./General Manager for Grupo SOS North America (Blue Ribbon rice and Bertolli olive oil) out of Houston TX. Before moving to the US, he worked for the Anglo/Dutch multinational Unilever for 29 years, in Italy, in England and in Belgium, occupying a series of international managerial roles and challenges in different categories – detergents and food – and functions – from finance to marketing & sales as well as in supply chain and general management. In Italy, he was for several years a Vice President of ASSITOL – the Rome based Association of Italian Oil Manufacturers. Involved with C-CAP in New York for several years thanks to Filippo Berio olive oil donations and scholarships, he now is very interested in developing the charity’s Miami chapter. Marco is happily married with two grown-up children and a tiny dog. He has a keen interest in international economics and politics and is passionate about traveling, quality food and sports cars.

Karen Brenker

Karen Brenker, former Chef/Caterer in Broward Country Florida, has worked at Zwilling JA Henckels for the past 13 years as a product specialist.  This past year she has helped grow ZWILLING’s new division in Culinary Education, working with Culinary Schools, Colleges, Technical Schools High Schools and Middle Schools across the Southeast.  The goal is to advance culinary education, by providing students the tools necessary to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Norman Van Aken

“Florida’s Culinary Icon”, The Jacques Pépin Foundation. 

Norman Van Aken is known for introducing the term “Fusion” into the vocabulary of global cuisine. He is the only Floridian Chef recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s ‘Who’s Who’.  He’s been a semifinalist for the “Best Chef in America”, and NORMAN’S was nominated as a finalist for “Best Restaurant in America.  He was honored alongside Alice Waters, Paul Prudhomme and Mark Miller as “One of the Founders of New American Cuisine” at Spain’s ‘Madrid Fusión’ summit. www.normanvanaken.com