Maura G. Nelson Scholarship

Maura Nelson grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and received her BA in English and her MAT in English Education from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She also has an MA in French Language and Literature from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. She has been visiting France almost every year since 1973, when she first visited Paris and fell in love with the language, culture, and people of France. She taught high school English in Chicago and Antwerp, Belgium, and started teaching both English and French classes at DMACC as an adjunct professor in 1986. That was also the first year that French chefs came to visit DMACC’s Culinary Program as part of the Des Moines-St-Etienne Sister-City Exchange. Her second week at DMACC she was asked to interpret for a cooking demonstration, and after spending time with the guest French chefs and the DMACC Culinary faculty, she offered to work with the program to establish an annual visit by the French chefs. On the anniversary of the 10th year of the Sister City relationship, Nelson organized a food and wine tour of France for faculty, culinary students, and patrons of DMACC’s Gourmet Dinners. Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, the ICI French Chef Exchange is an integral part of the Iowa Culinary Institute’s program, allowing 2 French chefs to visit DMACC for two weeks every January and 8 top graduates to visit France AND spend an additional two weeks doing a culinary internship with the chefs of L’Association des Cuisiniers de la Loire in their restaurants. Professor Nelson was given a full-time position teaching French in 1991. She was awarded DMACC’s Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2003 and was a DMACC Tapestry Award Recipient in 2009. In 2014, she received the distinction of being named a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académique, an award given by the French government. The French Academic Palms recognizes “those who have rendered eminent service to French education and have contributed actively to the prestige of French culture.  For those who are named and promoted in the Order of the French Academic Palms, this esteemed distinction acknowledges their merits, talents and exemplary activities.” Her love of international food, wine, and travel, along with her special love of France and French culture, are apparent as she tirelessly works to support the ICI and its students. This scholarship was named in her honor by President Rob Denson during the January 2020 celebration of the 35th anniversary of the French Chef Exchange, of which she is the founder and coordinator.