In 1990, cookbook author and educator Richard Grausman launched the nonprofit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) in New York City. Today, the program—designed to enhance the culinary arts curriculum in public schools and better prepare underserved students for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry—operates in some 200 schools around the country.

At a time when many publicly funded nonprofits are stressed by the economic crisis, the nearly two-decades-old C-CAP program is gaining important attention from a national audience, with the release of Pressure Cooker, a film by Jennifer Grausman, Richard Grausman's daughter. The film, which premiered at the LA Film Festival in June 2008, profiles three seniors at Philadelphia's Frankford High School and their culinary arts teacher Wilma Stephenson. Set against the backdrop of the city's working-class row homes, the film captures Stephenson's legendary boot-camp teaching method, which has helped countless students reach the top culinary schools in the country.

Because C-CAP relies on donations—both monetary and product—the nonprofit is hopeful that the film's exposure at festivals nationwide will raise awareness of the scholarship program's life-changing work.

Harold Import Company (HIC) of Lakewood, NJ, has taken notice. HIC has been involved with C-CAP since its inception, having donated approximately $100,000 worth of culinary products for classroom use over the years, said company spokesperson Rob Laub. Inspired by the role C-CAP has played in changing young lives for the better, Laub remarked: "The stories of these individual kids are amazing. You see kids whose lives have literally been saved by opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry."

In fact, Laub has been so impressed by the work of C-CAP, he has become the program's unofficial ambassador. Over the weekend, Laub addressed the scores of independent kitchenware retailers gathered for Gourmet Catalog's bi-annual membership meeting in Atlanta. In addition to presenting the short film that spawned the full-length Pressure Cooker, Laub outlined C-CAP's goal to raise $35,000 in culinary scholarship funds this year.

"We are already well on our way to a $35,000 goal after Rob's presentation to our membership," said Janis Johnson of Gourmet Catalog. "It is an exciting endeavor. We're really pleased to be able to get involved in a charitable project that not only improves the community as a whole, but personally and profoundly touches the lives of so many individuals."

C-CAP provides teacher training, cooking competitions for scholarships, job training and internships for outstanding students, college and career advising, and product donations to classrooms. The nonprofit works with more than 200 public high schools and more than 200 teachers to reach some 10,000 students annually. The C-CAP National Network includes Arizona (statewide); Chicago; Hampton Roads, Virginia; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. New York City remains the program's headquarters.

For more information on the program or to make a tax-deductible gift, call Barbara Miller, director of development, at 212-974-7111 or visit www.ccapinc.org/scholarships.php. For more information on the film, visit http://prod.takepart.com/.