Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America Chef Takes Home Prestigious Award; Chef Kirk Bachmann Wins Silver in American Culinary Federation Competition.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Growing up as the fourth generation of a family of chefs, Kirk Bachmann found his passion for cooking at an early age. His exposure to family-owned restaurants and pastry shops led to his pursuit of the culinary arts, a field in which he has excelled for more than 20 years. This appreciation was celebrated last week when Bachmann took home two awards at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) competition held in Milwaukee.

Bachmann, Vice President of Education for Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, a division of Career Education Corporation, participated in the ACF's culinary cook-off in Milwaukee, WI on March 13. He won a silver medal in the K/1 contemporary cuisine category for his pan roasted rock cornish game hen entree, where he competed against 14 others and placed third overall out of numerous chefs from around the country.

"This achievement speaks highly of Kirk's prowess as a chef and reflects his passion for the culinary arts," said Jack Larson, President and CEO of Career Education Corporation. "Kirk is dedicated to his craft and works hard to ensure Le Cordon Bleu is the premier provider of culinary education. He continually finds new ways to support and improve the program and plays an integral role in the lives of students and faculty in LCBNA's 13 schools."

Since 2000, Bachmann has been instrumental in the implementation of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary program in the U.S., which, through a partnership formed between Le Cordon Bleu International and Career Education Corporation, is offered exclusively at CEC culinary schools. Bachman was also named "2005 Educator of the Year" by the Foodservice Educator's Network International, a leading professional organization in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

In addition to Bachmann's accomplishments at the ACF competition, he was recently inducted into the Las Vegas chapter of the Les Amis d'Escoffier Society, a prestigious, invitation-only organization that aims to bring together professionals in the culinary industry who appreciate good food and good wines, have a "live and let live" attitude and continually share their love of the culinary arts.

About Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America

Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America is the largest provider of quality culinary arts education. Few institutions possess the distinguished reputation of Le Cordon Bleu, which established its first culinary school in Paris in 1895. Today, Le Cordon Bleu operates schools in London, Tokyo, Ottawa and Sydney in addition to its Paris location, and offers programs in Australia, Mexico and Brazil. In 1999, Le Cordon Bleu partnered with Chicago-based Career Education Corporation, one of the largest providers of private, for-profit postsecondary education, to create a dynamic culinary alliance in North America. There are currently 13 schools in the Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America network, offering programs in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie & Baking, and Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management. For more information, please visit www.lecordonbleuschoolsusa.com.

About Career Education Corporation

The colleges, schools and universities that are part of the Career Education Corporation (CEC) family offer high quality education to more than 100,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines. The 80-plus campuses that serve these students are located throughout the U. S., Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates and offer doctoral, master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees and diploma and certificate programs. Approximately one third of students attend the web-based virtual campuses of American InterContinental University Online and Colorado Technical University Online.

Career Education is an industry leader whose gold-standard brands are recognized globally. Those brands include, among others, the Le Cordon Bleu schools of North America; the Harrington School of Design; the Brooks Institute of Photography; the Katharine Gibbs schools; American Intercontinental University; Colorado Technical Institute and Sanford Brown. The mission of CEC, through its schools, its educators, and its employees is education--their primary goal, to enable students to graduate successfully and pursue rewarding careers.

For more information see www.careered.com. The company's website also has a detailed listing of individual campus locations and web links for its 80-plus colleges, schools and universities.

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