Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America Announces Hiring of Master Chef

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America announced a major development for the institution by hiring Master Chef Edward Leonard, CMC, WGMC, AAC, as vice president and corporate chef for Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America.

Chef Leonard is responsible for faculty training and development with a focus on technique, while providing hands-on leadership for all 17 Le Cordon Bleu campuses throughout North America. Chef Leonard is an internationally-recognized Master Chef —only one of 72 in the U.S. His hiring is part of the continued commitment of Le Cordon Bleu to further its mission to be a modern classic in culinary education and provide its students with the foundation for a fulfilling career opportunity.

"In bringing on a chef of the caliber of Master Chef Edward Leonard, we are continuing to deepen our commitment to provide an extraordinary culinary education to our students," said Brian Williams, senior vice president responsible for the Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America. "The addition of a master chef with the passion and excellence of Chef Leonard will further enhance all that Le Cordon Bleu has to offer in culinary education."

Chef Leonard comes to Le Cordon Bleu from the premier Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, the twelfth ranked platinum club in the U.S., where he was the assistant general manager and director of culinary operations. He is the immediate past president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and spent the last 25 years working in the culinary arts.  He received his Certified Master Chef (CMC), the highest and most demanding level of achievement of all ACF chef certifications, distinction in 1996. He has received more than 30 industry honors for achieving the highest standards of professionalism and for the many accomplishments in the industry.

Chef Leonard received an honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts from the Johnson & Wales University in May 2005, authored a variety of award-winning cook books and delivered numerous presentations and lectures to audiences of culinary professionals around the world.  He was the captain for ACF Culinary Team USA from 1998 to 2008 winning more than 40 gold medals in competitions himself.

"I am thrilled to be part of Le Cordon Bleu and admire its passion and standard of excellence," said Chef Leonard. "It will be an honor to join its heritage of culinary excellence and to share my passion and knowledge with the future leaders of the culinary arts."

The Le Cordon Bleu schools continue to offer a quality culinary education and real world hands-on training through academic programs nationwide. Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America include campuses in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Seattle and St. Louis.

Please visit www.chefs.edu for more information on Le Cordon Bleu Schools in North America.  Follow Le Cordon Bleu on Facebook and on Twitter @LCBSchools.

About Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) is one of the largest providers of quality culinary arts education worldwide. Our network of 17 schools in the United States offers culinary students a hands-on education with faculty dedicated to providing students with the necessary skills, knowledge, support and guidance to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in the culinary arts.  LCB does not guarantee employment or salary and is a member of the Career Education Corporation (Nasdaq: CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information about Le Cordon Bleu, go to www.Chefs.edu.

Le Cordon Bleu ® and the Le Cordon Bleu logo are registered trademarks in North America of Career Education Corporation.

SOURCE Le Cordon Bleu