C•CAP Elects New Members to National Board

NEW YORK, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) — the workforce development nonprofit that empowers under-resourced high school students & adults to become the next generation of leaders in food and hospitality — appointed two members to its National Board: Kelly Sennatt Esten and Ben Davison.

"The future of the restaurant industry depends on bold, inspired talent—and that's exactly what C•CAP cultivates," says Esten. "By equipping the next generation of culinary and hospitality leaders with essential skills and access, C•CAP is transforming lives and redefining what's possible for our industry. At Toast, we see the life-changing power of the restaurant industry, and through our Toast.org social impact work, we're creating pathways through culinary training and workforce development. I'm honored to join the Board of Directors and excited to drive this crucial work forward."

Davison agrees: "The growing world of hospitality presents an exciting opportunity for the next generation of skilled, passionate industry leaders—and C•CAP is doing amazing work to ensure their students are set up for success. At BDT & MSD Partners, our Real Estate team is focused on investing in organizations and talent that elevate the guest experience in new memorable ways. I'm proud to join the C•CAP Board and support its mission to build an empowered pipeline of hospitality professionals."

Jeffrey Samuels, Co-Chair alongside Chef Marcus Samuelsson, believes they will round out the notable industry-related experts already on the board. "Restaurant technology and hotel hospitality are two sectors our 25,000 students are interested in as careers, so we're thrilled to have Kelly and Ben join the board."

Kelly Esten is the Chief Marketing Officer at Toast, and joined the company in 2017. Before becoming the CMO, she served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise. She also held various Toast marketing leadership roles across product marketing, pricing, market insights and partnerships. Before Toast, she spent the previous six years at EnerNOC building Product Marketing from the ground up, leading Enterprise Sales, and building the go-to-market for their Energy Intelligence Software platform. She began her career at UBS in sales, finance, and strategy roles. She has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth and a B.A. in Environmental Science from Dartmouth College. Most recently, Kelly was the 2025 Chair of the C•CAP National Benefit and played a key role in fundraising for the event.

Ben Davison is a Managing Director and Co-Head of Hospitality on the Real Estate Equity team at BDT & MSD Partners. He joined the firm in 2021 from RFR Holding, where he oversaw the hospitality vertical. Prior to that, he worked in various capacities at Hotel Capital Advisors and started his career at Ernst & Young. Ben earned a B.S. from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, with a concentration in Real Estate, and serves on the Dean's Advisory Board. Ben is also a former C•CAP Associate Board member. 

Culinary Careers Program National Board

Richard Grausman, Founder & Chair Emeritus • Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Co-Chair - Chef, Marcus Samuelsson Group • Jeffrey B. Samuels, Co-Chair - Partner, Paul Weiss •  ID Aruede, Co-Vice Chair - COO & CFO, Whitney Museum of Art • Maria Castro Vainer, Co-Vice Chair & Treasurer - Managing Director, Investments & Advice, JP Morgan Wealth Management • Barbara Fairchild, Secretary - Former Editor-in-Chief, Bon Appetit Magazine

Ed Brown - CEO, Restaurant Associates • Ben Davison - Managing Director, BDT & MSD • Marco De Feo - Vice President of Marketing, Filippo Berio USA • Kelly Esten - Chief Marketing Officer, Toast • Beatriz Garcia - Managing Director, Teneo • Diana Getchius - Vice President of Human Resources, Union Square Hospitality Group • Deborah Grausman - Actor/Singer/Voice-Over Artist • Doug Hsieh - CEO, Avero • Patty Intrator - Independent Consultant • Heather Molin - Managing Director of Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors • Alexandra Shapiro - Former Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal • Smita Reddy - Partner, Global Clients, Edelman

About Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP)

Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) is a national workforce development nonprofit dedicated to training and supporting the next generation of food and hospitality leaders. We provide culinary arts education, job skills, apprenticeships, scholarships, and career opportunities to under-resourced high school students & adults.

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SOURCE Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP)