Allison White, who recently graduated from Schoolcraft College, has been awarded the 2024 National Student Pastry Chef of the Year through the American Culinary Federation.
A recent Schoolcraft College graduate has been awarded the 2024 National Student Pastry Chef of the Year through the American Culinary Federation.
Allison White competed earlier this week at the ACF’s national competition in Phoenix, Arizona, against three other chefs for the title. She was named the winner after creating a pair of dishes using the required ingredients. The winning dishes were:
- A Contemporary Sacher Torte made with pistachio shortbread, gluten-free chocolate cake, apricot mousse, a chocolate glaze and an apricot sorbet
- A Warm Peach and Plum Strudel, made with blueberry balsamic compote, pecan cookie crumble, sour cream and brown sugar ice cream
“I’m ecstatic to earn this recognition. Baking has become a passion of mine and to be named the ACF’s Student Pastry Chef of the Year is an absolute honor,” White said. “I’m extremely grateful to everyone who helped me along this journey, including my instructors at Schoolcraft College.”

White won a competition in May at the Culinary Institute of Michigan in Port Huron, which enabled her the chance to compete on the national stage. She has spent the past several months honing her dishes in the kitchens at Schoolcraft College, returning several days a week to perfect her entries.
She ran into trouble when arriving in Arizona: White’s cake layers she planned to use in the competition did not survive the flight. That’s when Schoolcraft College’s own president, Dr. Glenn Cerny, stepped up: Cerny and his wife own a home in the Phoenix area, which they opened to her to remake her cake layers right before the competition.
“Helping each other out is what Schoolcraft College is all about. Whether it’s here on campus or thousands of miles away, everyone at the College wants to step up and help our students however we can,” Cerny said. “Allison is a perfect example of what our students are made of: they’re resilient, talented and successful. She is a great representation of Schoolcraft College’s award-winning Culinary Arts program.”
Chef Heather Moore, CMB, CEPC, a Culinary Arts faculty member who worked with White, said she knew quickly that White was a great candidate to compete for such awards.
“Allison has a great mindset when it comes to baking and I’m not surprised at her success,” Moore said. “After seeing her in class, we knew she had the skillset and talent to be a successful competitor. Myself and the rest of the Culinary Arts faculty at Schoolcraft College are incredibly proud of her accomplishments.”