Nyack’s own Cris Spezial is competing for the title of Favorite Chef! Click here to vote

But his dream of winning $50,000 is not for himself or the glory–it’s to help his students at Nyack’s RCC Culinary Center by creating a food pantry.

“Being a chef instructor and director of a culinary program for a community college, I see a lot of students that are food insecure. I would like to create a food pantry that would serve these students,” Spezial said. “No student should ever have to decide whether to purchase a book or to purchase food for their family.”

Known throughout Nyack as the former chef/owner of Nyack Gourmet, Spezial is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of American and a professional chef with over 40 years of broad-ranging experience. He is now an Instructor and Program Director, Hospitality & Culinary Arts at SUNY Rockland RCC.

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