Alumni

91��߹ Graduates in the News: September 2024

ajohnson — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:24:48 +0000

91��߹ Graduates in the News: September 2024 ajohnson Sun, 09/15/2024 - 11:24 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/91��߹%20Grads%20in%20the%20News%20Header.jpg.webp?itok=yFRvNI6e September 16, 2024

By Sean Creamer

Sean is a freelance writer at the Institute of Culinary Education (91��߹), combining his passion for food with his storytelling expertise. An outdoor enthusiast interested in adventure writing, he enjoys exploring new recipes, visiting local markets, and experiencing culinary diversity in New York City.

Three Institute of Culinary Education alumni are making waves this month with high-profile achievements in the culinary world, demonstrating that hard work and dedication to the craft can lead to prestigious recognition in the restaurant industry.

Shant Halajian, an 91��߹ Los Angeles graduate and Corporate Executive Chef for DreamHost in California, recently announced on Instagram that he will compete in the upcoming 23rd season of the TV show "Hell’s Kitchen" on FOX. The first episode of the season airs on September 26.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shant Halajian (@therealchefshant)

Chef Shant’s journey has been impressive, having previously served as the Executive Chef of the Glenmark Hotel in Glendale, where he oversaw two distinct restaurants: Olia, which offered breakfast and Italian dinners, and MYA, a rooftop restaurant inspired by Japanese cuisine. His versatility in managing different culinary styles has garnered attention, and now he will take his talents to the national stage.

Meanwhile, Mary Attea, an NYC 91��߹ graduate and Executive Chef of both Rafs and the Michelin-starred The Musket Room, has been named one of "Food & Wine" magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2024.

91��߹ graduate Mary Attea.

This esteemed recognition adds to her growing list of accolades, including her 2023 nomination for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State. Chef Mary is known for her modern approach to Middle Eastern cuisine, and her ability to bring thoughtful, innovative dishes to her restaurants.

Read about Chef Mary on The New York Times’ 100 Best NYC Restaurants list

Finally, Shenarri Freeman, also an 91��߹ NYC graduate and Executive Chef at the renowned vegan soul food restaurant Cadence in New York City and Ubuntu in Los Angeles, has been featured on the cover of the August 2024 issue of "Nation’s Restaurant News," a magazine serving the culinary industry.

Chef Shenarri on the cover of "Nation's Restaurant News."

A graduate of 91��߹'s Plant-Based Culinary Arts program (formerly known as Health-Supportive Culinary Arts), Chef Shenarri is celebrated for her inventive plant-based renditions of African, Caribbean, and Southern dishes, which have helped position Cadence as a leader in NYC vegan cuisine.

Ubuntu opened in 2023 under Overthrow Hospitality group, the same restaurant group that serves Cadence. The cover story Chef Shenarri is featured in lists the most influential restaurant groups shaping the American culinary scene, one of which is Overthrow Hospitality. Chef Shenarri's creative approach continues to attract diners eager for a soulful, health-conscious dining experience.

Try Chef Shenarri's Recipe: Stuffed Collard Green Wraps

Alumni News Awards and Honors Food TV

Add new comment

Chef Onika Brown's Journey to Pastry

ajohnson — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 02:28:53 +0000

Chef Onika Brown's Journey to Pastry ajohnson Sun, 09/08/2024 - 22:28 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Onika%20Brown%20header.jpeg.webp?itok=Xm4_mDsT September 10, 2024

By Sean Creamer

Though cooking a savory dish and preparing a pastry may require some of the same tools, the processes behind both are usually quite different. Where a savory chef can be creatively liberal, a pastry chef must often work with mathematical precision.

This exacting nature of pastry is what drew Chef Onika Brown, an Institute of Culinary Education graduate, to the world of baked delights.

Now the executive pastry chef at Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson, located within the Perelman Performing Arts Center in Downtown Manhattan, Chef Onika brings her Caribbean roots to life through her creations. While the restaurant’s kitchen has a French inspiration, chefs at Metropolis are encouraged to infuse their unique flavor backgrounds into their dishes.

“At this stage in my career, I’m focusing more on my culture, especially being part of the Marcus Samuelsson Restaurant Group. Marcus allows me to be myself and express my heritage through my work,” Chef Onika says. “So, if I want to create a Jamaican or West Indian-inspired dessert, influenced by my mom, it’s welcomed and supported. My palate is evolving more towards my comfort zone, moving beyond just French techniques.”

Serving her parents at Metropolis remains one of Chef Onika’s most cherished memories. Cooking and baking have been staples in her life since childhood, growing up in Florida with her family. Her grandmother, who took charge in the kitchen, was a major influence.

“As a child, I was always cooking with my grandmother, aunts, and uncles. My grandmother, who cooked every day for everyone, is the reason I decided to become a chef,” Chef Onika says. “Those gatherings were filled with love, comfort, and a sense of community. Experiencing that from a young age made me realize that I wanted to be part of it when I grew older.”

While she loved to cook, one of Chef Onika’s favorite foods to make while growing up was monkey bread, a soft and sticky pastry that’s sweetened with cinnamon. This breakfast treat became a family favorite at gatherings, leaving lasting memories that inspired her pursuit of a culinary career. Eventually, this led her to enroll at 91��߹, where she initially focused on savory cuisine.

However, when the curriculum shifted to pastries, Chef Onika fell in love with the precision required in baking. Her instructors emphasized that unlike savory cooking, where adjustments can be made on a whim, pastry demands exact measurements and careful balance.

In pastry, everything needs to add up perfectly, and that challenge made me want to pursue it further.

“With savory dishes, you can adjust by adding more acid, salt, or fat. But in pastry, precision is key—if you add something, you have to subtract something else because it’s like an equation,” Chef Onika says. “In pastry, everything needs to add up perfectly, and that challenge made me want to pursue it further.”

A pivotal moment in her education came when the class made and glazed chocolate cakes. Despite following the same recipe, each cake turned out differently, highlighting the nuances in technique and execution. After her time at 91��߹, Chef Onika further honed her skills during an internship at Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Center.

At Bouchon, a bakery operated by the renowned Chef Thomas Keller, Chef Onika had the opportunity to experiment with modernized French patisserie. The bakery’s extensive display case allowed her to showcase her macaron-making skills.

“We were producing about 6,000 macarons a day, focusing on efficiency and consistency. I love a challenge, so I was determined to perfect it,” Chef Onika says. “I’d start at 5 a.m., making the batter, piping, baking, and filling—all before noon. It was the earliest job I ever had, and mastering those macarons at Bouchon is something I’ll never forget. You never forget your first macaron.”

With fall approaching, Chef Onika is excited to work with seasonal ingredients like persimmon, pumpkin, and spices. She’s currently preparing a special autumn menu at Metropolis that’s still under wraps, so be sure to stop by and check it out if you're in the New York area!

Alumni Pastry Arts Culinary Arts

Add new comment

How 91��߹ Grad Steven Gao's Daily Life Earned Him 300k Followers

ajohnson — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000

How 91��߹ Grad Steven Gao's Daily Life Earned Him 300k Followers ajohnson Tue, 09/03/2024 - 09:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Steven%20with%20Chef%20Jason%20Banner.JPG.webp?itok=BcKZn0-0 91��߹ Chef-Instructor Jason Hawk (left) with 91��߹ graduate Steven Gao (right) September 3, 2024

By Sean Creamer

A recent Institute of Culinary Education graduate gained over 300,000 Instagram followers in less than a year — simply by posting about his day-to-day life.

From learning how to chop an onion with Gordon Ramsey to exploring NYC’s ramen scene, social media is filled with culinary content. A popular trend, especially on TikTok, is “day-in-the-life” videos, offering an inside look into various professions, including what it takes to become a professional chef.

Steven Gao, known as @StevenMotoCooks on TikTok and Instagram, seized the opportunity when he enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus in 2023.

Chef Steven graduated from Rutgers University in 2023 with a degree in computer science/graphic design. When reflecting back on his college experience, Chef Steven realized that his happiest memories were when he was cooking for his friends.

“While I enjoyed my classes, I didn’t want to work in graphic design,” Chef Steven says. “I loved making memories with friends while cooking. Even though I wasn’t a strong cook, I wanted to keep creating those happy moments.”

This desire led him to consider, and then enroll, in culinary school. He joined 91��߹'s Culinary Arts program for the 2023/2024 term.

Steven Gao (center) and two other 91��߹ graduates at 91��߹'s 2024 commencement ceremony.

Once he started class, Chef Steven quickly realized that the hands-on instructional content was perfect for recording. Many students already take out their phones to document complex cuts and slices, so he decided to take his videos a step further. Drawing from his experience creating volleyball training videos in college, Chef Steven began documenting his culinary school journey with quick cuts and voiceovers to keep viewers engaged.

“I thought it would be interesting to document the whole journey,” Chef Steven says.

His content aimed to introduce people to the world of cooking and provide a glimpse into culinary school life. But the process also helped him learn more, as he reviewed and researched the topics for his videos, reinforcing what he learned in class.

“Depending on the topic, I’d research the history of a technique taught in class to ensure accuracy,” Chef Steven says. “Making the roux videos was particularly fun because I was deepening my understanding, which made the videos more informative.”

One video that did very well was his video on how to prepare different styles of eggs, which ranged from American to French style preparations. Generally, videos about filets, preparing chicken or steaks, and breakfast foods did well. Chef Steven thinks that's because those are ingredients many people cook with daily.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Institute of Culinary Education (@iceculinary)

As his content evolved, Chef Steven started adding small screen captures of definitions and diagrams, allowing viewers to pause and explore deeper into the material. He also used text overlays to share his thoughts during certain moments, like when he tried a raw roux and had to keep a straight face while the text noted his struggle not to spit it out.

After creating over 100 videos and amassing more than 4.6 million likes on TikTok, Chef Steven has graduated from 91��߹ and now works as a Chef de Partie at three-Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se, a New American and French restaurant created by Chef Thomas Keller.

Chef Steven says balancing his new role with content creation has been challenging, leading him to shift his focus towards longer-form content.

“Now that I’m at Per Se, I spend the whole day working and have less time to edit videos,” he says. “They understandably want me to focus on the work, so I’m working on longer content to educate people on cooking.”

Looking ahead, Chef Steven hopes to immerse himself in professional kitchens and learn the business side of running a restaurant, with the goal of one day opening his own space. In the meantime, he continues to create content about cooking for family and friends, while reflecting on the global impact of his videos.

“I had people from India, China, Africa, and Singapore asking about 91��߹ and the culinary school experience,” Chef Steven says. “It was nice to share what I was learning and provide my insights.”

Alumni Social Media

Add new comment

How Marc Murphy Transformed His Culinary Passion into Community Impact

ajohnson — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:07:41 +0000

How Marc Murphy Transformed His Culinary Passion into Community Impact ajohnson Thu, 08/22/2024 - 20:07 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Chef%20Marc%20Murphy%20header.jpg.webp?itok=9Z4w6X_R August 22, 2024

By Sean Creamer

As a celebrity chef, Marc Murphy has worn many hats.

He’s a world-renowned cook, the creator of several successful restaurants, and a Food Network TV personality on “Chopped" and “Guy’s Grocery Games.” He's also a graduate of Peter Kump's New York Cooking School, which is now The Institute of Culinary Education.

When reflecting on what he’s most proud of, Chef Marc thinks about the communities he’s built through cooking.

“The most rewarding thing about having restaurants is realizing you’re providing a place for people to gather and create memories while enjoying good food,” Chef Marc says. “You’re also creating an atmosphere where people can work, make a living and support their families. It’s rewarding to know that you’re part of a community from the perspective of both the guests and the staff.”

This appreciation for cuisine comes from a lifetime spent around good people and good food. Born in Italy and raised in southern France, Chef Marc’s culinary journey began at the dinner table, training his palate from a young age.

“I learned how to eat and eat well; I was always well-fed,” Chef Marc says. “I knew what good food was and what things were supposed to taste like.”

Chef Marc Murphy (far left) with (from left to right) 91��߹ Chairman and Founder Rick Smilow, 91��߹ Vice President of Education Richard Simpson and Chef Daniel Boulud at 91��߹'s 40th anniversary celebration.

Despite his early exposure to great food, Chef Marc didn’t initially aspire to be a chef. He dreamed of becoming a race car driver, but the steep cost of entry to professional racing led him to New York City, seeking his next step in life.

Chef Marc moved to NYC and crashed on his brother’s couch, where he cooked at home often. During the day, he worked as a handyman for friends, but he still felt directionless. Then, his brother made a suggestion that changed his life.

“After a couple of months, my brother asked, ‘Why don’t you go to cooking school? You seem to like to cook,’” Chef Marc says. “So my brother looked into it, and at the time, 91��߹ was called Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School.”

Peter Kump's New York Cooking School is the first iteration of the school that is now known as the Institute of Culinary Education. Though 91��߹ has grown tremendously since the school's founding in 1975, students are still taught according to Peter Kump's philosophy toward food: study through learning and practicing techniques, not just following recipes.

At the school, Chef Marc enrolled in an intensive three-month program. While he struggled with the written work, the hands-on nature of the classes resonated with him, thanks to his background as a handyman and amateur auto mechanic. Chef Marc fondly remembers learning techniques from his Chef-Instructors in the teaching kitchen and then getting to apply those skills in real life.

“They got me ready to walk into a professional kitchen with confidence, having taught me the basics like searing and glazing," Chef Marc says. "I learned the fundamentals at 91��߹, which helped me adapt to different kitchens.”

After graduating, Chef Marc worked in restaurants across Italy and France to absorb the culinary scene. But he soon returned to New York, working as a line cook at Terrance Brennan’s Prix Fixe. Using the skills he learned, he worked through every station in the kitchen under acclaimed New York Chef Joseph Fortunato and James Beard Award-winning Chef David Pasternak.

Chef Marc’s experience culminated in the opening of his first restaurant, Landmarc, in Tribeca, where he offered top-tier French and Italian cuisine. He soon expanded with Ditch Plains in the West Village and other Landmarc locations around the city. Concurrently, he made a name for himself as a celebrity chef, frequently appearing as a judge on Food Network’s “Chopped.”

Related: Food TV Tips for Future Chefs

“The TV show appearances helped me fill the seats because people would see me on ‘Chopped,’ and they wanted to go to my restaurants,” Chef Marc says.

However, the greater benefit of his fame, he said, has been raising money for philanthropic causes like City Harvest and the No Kid Hungry campaign. His name recognition also enabled him to become the national spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry.

“The greatest moment for me was arriving at a charity event I organized and realizing that 90% of the staff working the event were people from my restaurants,” Chef Marc says. “It was a great moment seeing all my staff, everybody on their day off, working at this event for free, supporting this cause.”

Now, Chef Marc runs MARC179 one weekend a month out of his private events space in Tribeca. The four-course meals are seasonal, with a menu that changes monthly. He works with a rotating cast of servers and chefs, many of whom have collaborated with him on philanthropic events.

“My goal is always to put the best food on the plate,” Chef Marc says. “It’s more about making the ingredients shine than anything else.”

Reflecting on his career, Chef Marc advises anyone wanting to get into the culinary arts to be sure of their path. It requires hard work and dedication, but the payoff is worth it.

Chef Marc Murphy

Alumni New York City Restaurants

Add new comment

Cooking On Tour with Chef Sandra Gajovsky

abaker — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Cooking On Tour with Chef Sandra Gajovsky abaker Mon, 08/12/2024 - 09:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/cooking-on-tour-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=heXeYHNa August 12, 2024

By Sean Creamer

When a musician gets off the stage after belting out tunes for two hours, one of the biggest things on their mind is food, according to Sandra Gajovsky, the Institute of Culinary Education graduate working as the Lead Chef at Dega Catering.

Chef Sandra leads the life of a culinary nomad, cooking across the United States and the world on tour with famous performers like Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift and The Lumineers. Working with a team of expert catering cooks, she puts together multiple meals daily for musicians and the vast support crews needed to keep the music playing every night. But her journey didn’t start with cooking up tapas between taping sessions.

“I never envisioned myself here,” she says. “But now I travel with musicians, feeding them and their staff. You have to have grit in this slice of the industry. Our day can start at 6:30 a.m. and end at 10 p.m. or later, depending on the show and the city the band plays in the next day.”

Chef Sandra did not start her career cooking on the road. After working as a florist, she realized she wanted something more. That’s when she discovered 91��߹. The Culinary Arts program at 91��߹ offered plenty of instruction, information and essential training — perfect for Chef Sandra, as a career changer.

“What sticks with me all these years later are the memories of other people like me — people going through a career change,” says Chef Sandra. “There was a lawyer, a teacher, someone running a family business unrelated to cooking, just a lot of different stories all coming together to cook.”

After graduating and completing her externship, Chef Sandra got her first taste of catering-style cooking at a ritzy country club in Northern New Jersey. She split her time between restaurant-style cuisine and catered buffets for banquets, golf outings, baptisms, weddings and graduations. However, the seasonal nature of golf courses in the Northeast meant a slow winter season, so Chef Sandra moved to Nashville.

Related: What is an Externship?

After working in the restaurant scene in Music City for a few years, she found a role at TomKats Hospitality, a Nashville staple for event and on-location catering. She fell in love with the work but wanted to take her career to a new level. After speaking to a friend who worked in marketing and production for the Warped Tour, she learned about her dream job.

“‘You know what you’d be awesome at? Tour catering,’” Chef Sandra recalls her friend saying. “Cooking food for artists, bands and the crew! As a big music fan, this was a great way to merge two worlds.”

Soon after, Chef Sandra discovered Dega Catering and began a two-year endeavor to get on the company's radar. She got her lucky break with the Country Music Awards, where they needed another set of helping hands to feed 300 to 400 people a day. With a contract secured, she proved her worth by working local events and filling in for people out on tours. Soon, Chef Sandra worked on her first tour with the Zac Brown Band.

“People on the road love their comfort food,” Chef Sandra says of the band’s favorite dishes. “They enjoy simple, home-style meals.”

More 91��߹ Alumni in Catering: Cooking in the Catering World with Chef Hope Glendon

Her tour days begin with local runners in each city shopping for fresh ingredients while her crew sets up the mobile kitchen. Breakfast is served buffet-style, followed by lunch, which is prepared during the artist's soundcheck. The crew and band grab a quick bite of dinner before the show, and then the traveling kitchen usually starts breaking down around 10 p.m. Chef Sandra always has a plate or two of food ready to warm up in case of late-night munchies.

“We won’t cook up a meal in the middle of the night, so no midnight grilled cheese sandwiches,” she says. “But we always have a little after-show meal ready for the artists and crew.”

Life moves fast when you're cooking for performers like the Foo Fighters. But between tours, Chef Sandra found time to compete in season 22 of Hell’s Kitchen. The experience was challenging, as she found not only her cooking scrutinized, but also her social interactions.

“The psychology of the show was wild — you’ve got all the stress of the kitchen in a pressure cooker social experience where you’re prepping meals with 17 other cooks you’ve never worked with,” she says. “They even take notes of your facial expressions to ask what you were thinking about in the confessionals!”

Though being on the road is a way of life for Chef Sandra, she eventually plans to open a gothic-themed bakery. Until then, the Chef Sandra Gajovsky International Tour continues.

For those thinking of getting into culinary arts, Chef Sandra has crucial advice.

“Put your head down and work your butt off," she says. "Be a reliable employee and do the best job you can do. Other people will see the value in you, your work and your ethics.”

More Alumni Stories

Alumni Culinary Arts Career Changer Career

Add new comment

From Counseling to Confections: Chef Rebecca Shuster’s Sweet Journey

ajohnson — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 00:30:59 +0000

From Counseling to Confections: Chef Rebecca Shuster’s Sweet Journey ajohnson Fri, 08/02/2024 - 20:30 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Rebecca-Shuster-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=RzY5D13H Courtesy: Erin Usawicz August 5, 2024

By Sean Creamer

Caring for your mental needs sometimes requires a change of pace, like baking a new type of pie or walking to the new pastry shop in town. But for some, depression is more dark and profound.

Chef Rebecca Shuster aimed to help struggling people through her career as a counseling psychologist. After earning her master's degree, Chef Rebecca began working with troubled teens who experienced extreme depression.

"One of the things I had trouble with was working with adolescents, and I worried about them. That was the hard part of the field," Chef Rebecca says. "I couldn't leave it there and go home and relax; I always worried about the kids."

As a mother herself, the stress of the work, combined with additional personal challenges, pushed Chef Rebecca to find a profession she could excel in that also allowed her to support herself. This period of soul-searching brought Chef Rebecca back to one of her favorite passions: baking.

Courtesy: Erin Usawicz

"My great-grandmother baked, my grandma baked and my mother baked with me," Chef Rebecca says. "So I've always been into baking as a hobby."

She got a job at a local bakery in New Jersey and fell in love with the craft all over again. Early mornings prepping the day's pastries spoke to Chef Rebecca, who realized she wanted to dive further into the career — but on her terms.

The realization that she could start her own business inspired her to enhance the baking skills she learned from her mother and grandmother. When Chef Rebecca began researching culinary schools, the Institute of Culinary Education became her leading choice. The school had an esteemed reputation, and as a New Jersey resident, she found it easy to commute to lower Manhattan. Most importantly, the school offered a Pastry & Baking Arts diploma.

"I wanted to learn more technical baking skills. I learned things like laminating doughs, the chemistry around yeast products and bread and generally gained confidence with pastry," Chef Rebecca says. "The hands-on classes helped me learn more about decorating cakes and cookies, among other things."

The work was hard, but the effort paid off. In 2021, Chef Rebecca earned her diploma and began assembling the building blocks to open her bakery. Before attending 91��߹, she envisioned selling baked goods from her home.

A friend involved in a pie-of-the-month club for several years was a big motivator. He supported her efforts as she built her brand from home. The first step was getting a cottage operator's permit in New Jersey.

"I wanted to call my business Farmhouse Sweets and bake out of the old farmhouse I live in, which was built in 1829," says Chef Rebecca. "However, it has a small kitchen, and I have shelves of stuff I can't wait to bring to my new bakery's kitchen."

Beyond the small quarters, Chef Rebecca's other issue was that she could not sell decorated cakes. She could not make key lime, lemon meringue pies or any finished product that needed refrigeration. But she did not let this get in the way of her dream.

Chef Rebecca is now building the brick-and-mortar iteration of Farmhouse Sweets, slated to open in the fall of 2024. The location is just outside of Downtown Hackettstown, in a quaint shopping center near Route 80 with a red-brick walkway that harkens back to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

The inspiration for the name came from her love of the rustic side of New Jersey, and her logo is "Pastries with a Rustic Twist." But don't expect to find ancient furniture and appliances here. Chef Rebecca plans to outfit the interior with a sleek, modern look with quaint accents.

The future is exciting for Chef Rebecca, who wants to host decorating and other classes out of her space. She looks back fondly on her time at 91��߹.

"I never thought I'd have my own spot. But having the confidence to know I can make a good product helped me so much, and a lot of that came from 91��߹," she says.

Alumni Pastry Arts Baking Arts

Add new comment

From AI Entrepreneur to Plant-Forward Restaurateur, Meet 91��߹ Alum Kiran Narayanan

abaker — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:10:18 +0000

From AI Entrepreneur to Plant-Forward Restaurateur, Meet 91��߹ Alum Kiran Narayanan abaker Tue, 07/16/2024 - 11:10 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/moglu-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=mryylmsc July 18, 2024

By Hillery Hargadine

Hillery Wheeler Hargadine has been with 91��߹ since 2009 and is a graduate of 91��߹’s Restaurant and Culinary Management program. After over a decade with the Admissions team helping students to fulfill their dreams of enrolling in culinary school, she now enjoys profiling those same students in their new careers as Notable Alumni. In addition to alumni outreach, Hillery works on prospective student messaging and content. She currently lives in Toyko, Japan with her husband and son, and eats as much sushi and ramen as possible.

Chef and owner of Bangalore’s Mamacoco Hospitality Group, this Plant-Based Culinary Arts graduate is committed to bringing his passion for micro-cuisines and local, vegetarian dining to the masses.

With the sale of his AI manufacturing company, Unit X, Chef Kiran Narayanan found himself with the opportunity to launch an entirely new career.

He knew he wanted to focus on bettering the planet, but didn't know where to begin. Though Chef Kiran was unsure, his wife Ankita steered him in the obvious direction.

As Chef Kiran retells it, Ankita pointed out how all of the media he watched and read centered around one thing: food. He was quick to realize that a culinary career was the answer he had been searching for.

Chef Kiran has always known a deep love for food and flavor. As a boy in India, he loved to roast garden vegetables in the residual heat of his mother’s coal-fired oven. Every time the family moved — which was frequently due to his father’s job — Chef Kiran’s first order of business was befriending the local "aunties" so he could learn everything he could about how to prepare their local cuisines.

“There are so many different kinds of sauces and local vegetables that they would prepare, so that's where I started picking things up — I would learn from them,” he says. “So by the time I was in high school, my knowledge of Indian cooking was solid.”

This habit of learning from his matriarchs is something Chef Kiran is carrying through life. An avid traveler, one of his fondest travel memories is traipsing to rural Italy to learn how to make pasta from the grandmother of someone he met in Rome the night before.

“He was bragging about his grandmother's pasta and I was like, ‘I need to learn how to do that, and I need to go see her do it,’" Chef Kiran says. "It's amazing what happens when you just ask…and that's how I learned how to make pasta and marinara sauce.”

As Chef Kiran started focusing on his professional life, his curiosity about food, hospitality and health — both for himself and the planet — steered his direction. He found himself hosting large backyard parties and learning as much information about chefs, food and recipes as he could.

It was the combination of these curiosities that ultimately led him to 91��߹’s Plant-Based Culinary Arts program.

Chef Kiran planned a month in New York City to try out eateries and visit culinary schools, including 91��߹, all in an effort to start building a basis for the hospitality group he hoped to open in Bangalore.

The strategy was simple: find the best plant-forward culinary program to get vegetarian cooking experience and then open a fully-vegetarian fine dining restaurant. If the venture succeeded, it would allow him to expand into casual dining and quick-service establishments, and eventually shift the way people eat at home.

“Once that happens, then I can actually achieve my vision of changing the way people eat — making it more vegetarian, or veg-centric,” Chef Kiran says.

Chef Kiran was drawn to how efficient and focused 91��߹'s Health Supportive (now Plant-Based) Culinary Arts program was.

“If you read enough about the program [you realize] it’s the most advanced plant-forward program there is," Chef Kiran says. "Also, the location was pretty much in the heart of Manhattan, which gave me the opportunity to work in places nearby.”

As a student, Chef Kiran was an avid volunteer at the 91��߹ New York Campus' hydroponic farm, and within weeks of starting school found himself working the line at Amanda Cohen’s one-Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant, Dirt Candy. Initially connected to the restaurant through his Chef-Instructor at 91��߹, he credits that experience as a transformative moment of working in the hospitality industry.

“It was my first day in a professional kitchen and they decided to put me on the pass for dinner service,” Chef Kiran says. “I thought ‘Is this really happening?’”

Chef Kiran didn’t have the luxury of second-guessing himself for long, as Dirt Candy’s open kitchen meant he was face-to-face with actual customers.

“I looked at the tweezers in my hand and realized my hand was shaking,” he says. “At that moment these two women sat down right in front of me and I was like ‘You know what, I need to take three deep breaths and really look like I know what I’m doing.’ Then a few minutes later I heard one of them say, ‘That guy looks like he knows what he’s doing.’ This was at the time when we were still wearing masks, so I don’t know if they saw me smiling behind my mask but I was.”

Between the confidence gained from working on the line in front of customers and the excitement of being at Dirt Candy when they were awarded their first-ever Michelin Star, Chef Kiran was hooked on the thrill of working in fine dining. It was this experience that he took with him when he moved back to India to launch Mamacoco Hospitality.

As Chef Kiran got ready to launch his fine dining endeavor, there were some key factors he knew he needed to focus on. One was the holistic approach to running a restaurant he garnered from his time at 91��߹.

“The biggest lesson I learned was that it’s not just about getting the skill to cook, it's also about the soft skills of working with people," he says. "If you want to set up your own business, trust matters a lot, so you need to have a helping mentality.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anirban Blah (@anirbanblah)

When it came to help, Chef Kiran also knew he couldn’t go into the endeavor alone, so he turned to his most valued teammate: his wife.

“No story of mine is complete without her…we've always worked and lived together,” he says. “So this wouldn't have been realized without her in it.”

Even the name of the restaurant, Moglu, and the restaurant group, Mamacoco Hospitality, are homages to the couple.

“Mamacoco is what I call her. And Moglu is what she calls me,” he says.

While Chef Kiran holds the role of Owner, Executive Chef and Creative Director, his wife Ankita is the Managing Director of the group.

Moglu opened in Bangalore in 2024 to rave reviews, including a write-up in YS Life, which called the restaurant a “celebration of vegetarianism.” This description aligns with Chef Kiran’s own explanation of his vision, too.

“We take [Indian] micro cuisine, which has amazing vegetarian food, and very deep flavors, usually even Sattvic food, and we showcase it," he says. "[After Moglu] we did a quick service menu format to sort of introduce it to the public all over India.”

The quick-service option is the second brand within Mamacoco Hospitality: Matka Junction.

With these successes under his belt, Chef Kiran is continuing to expand, with two more Bangalore locations of Matka Junction set to open this year, and a plan to take the brand “pan-India” in short order. This success is the culmination of his years of hard work and a clear vision for the future.

“I wanted to be a chef and start a restaurant group because I wanted to emphasize veg-forward eating," he says. "And I couldn’t have done it without the training I received from the experts at 91��߹.”

More Alumni Stories

Alumni

Add new comment

Cooking in the Catering World with Chef Hope Glendon

abaker — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 16:32:35 +0000

Cooking in the Catering World with Chef Hope Glendon abaker Mon, 07/15/2024 - 12:32 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Hope%20Glendon%20Headshot-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=U8_dTMjT July 25, 2024

By Sean Creamer

Chef Hope Glendon keeps as busy as the bustling city she calls home. From flambé cooking at swanky private residences to organizing events taking over Randall’s Island, she’s mastering the art of catering in the Big Apple.

As a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education’s Culinary Arts program in 2015, Chef Hope knew she wanted more flexibility than the life of a sous chef allows.

“Most people start in restaurants, but the idea of working with the same food, at the same station and in the same place for years just wasn’t appealing,” Chef Hope says. “But catering provided an outlet to cook new meals in new places daily.”

An externship placement through 91��߹ with Oliver Cheng Catering and Events allowed Chef Hope to see her cooking career in a new light. The experience exposed her to the world of catering high-profile events, giving her new settings, dishes and event themes to prepare for.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Great Performances (@gpfood)

She is now an Event Chef for Great Performances, one of the largest caterers in New York City. Founded by Liz Nuemark in the 1980s, Great Performances prepares diplomatic dinners, feeds corporate conferences and serves meals for festive graduation celebrations.

While Chef Hope fell in love with the changing scenes, menus and clients, she soon learned that she had to advocate for herself if she wanted more work.

“Being assertive is key for freelance catering,” Chef Hope says. “I had to ask if I could pick up pack-out shifts in the kitchen, which raised my standing with the team. That built trust and helped me land work with bigger clients.”

Though she is currently preparing meals for dignitaries and celebrities, Chef Hope’s culinary journey sprouted from humble roots.

“I’ve always been interested in cooking,” she says. “My parents tell stories of me pulling up my little step stool at three years old and cooking Top Ramen all by myself.”

Soon, she was cooking complex dishes and baked delights. Her tiramisu was a legendary party dessert among her friend group.

As Chef Hope prepared for college, her encyclopedic recipe knowledge translated well into her educational pursuit as she enrolled in the Forensic Chemistry program at the University of New Haven.

While she loved the nuances of formulas, the monotonous day-in and day-out of working in a lab did not appeal to her. So, after graduating, she began working as a nanny on the Upper West Side to stay grounded while taking time to plan her next career move.

One day, while waiting for the kids to get home from school, Chef Hope realized she could use her spare time to return to the cutting board.

“Since I didn’t have to watch the kids in the morning, I began taking recreational classes at the Institute of Culinary Education,” she says. “The classes reignited my passion for cooking, which made me think I could turn this love into a career.”

Once her mind was set, Chef Hope went to 91��߹'s admissions team and signed up for the Culinary Arts career program's 2014/15 semester. Once Chef Hope completed her interview and tried on her 91��߹ uniform jacket, she enrolled. She says she immediately began learning new tricks.

“Going to 91��߹ gave me more confidence in the kitchen,” Chef Hope says. “I had always watched Food Network, found a recipe and strictly followed the instructions. But I learned that cooking is more about having the basic skills and using them to influence your take on a recipe so you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to.”

Related: Is Culinary School Worth It?

As a picky eater, these skills helped her mix and match ingredients to swap proteins and seasonings to fit her favorite flavor profiles. This solid foundation also comes in handy when Chef Hope has to swap ingredients out of a dish due to allergy concerns at her work.

Patience was another important skill Chef Hope picked up at 91��߹ that carried into her career. As an event chef at Great Performances, staying calm while managing a situation is crucial, especially when Chef Hope works with large teams of people to bring a client’s dream event to life.

At Great Performances’ kitchen in the Bronx, cooks partially prepare the ingredients for all events. Then, on-site, event chefs and their teams produce a successful event, often without a commercial kitchen or oven.

The excitement never ends, as Great Performances recently partnered with Momofuku to serve their dishes at special catering stations. The company is also committed to working sustainably, sourcing ingredients from Hudson Valley farms like Katchkie Farm, which Great Performances owns.

Chef Hope's journey took her through multiple different roles, which allowed to her find where she really wanted to be. She encourages new chefs to have a similarly open mind when heading into the workforce.

“Don’t be scared [of] trying out multiple spots," she says. "The first place you land doesn’t have to be where you work forever.”

Meet more 91��߹ graduates from across the culinary industry

Alumni Institute of Culinary Education Culinary Arts

Add new comment

From Celebrated Brooklyn Chef to Boise Hotelier, Meet 91��߹ Alum Cal Elliott

abaker — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:07:14 +0000

From Celebrated Brooklyn Chef to Boise Hotelier, Meet 91��߹ Alum Cal Elliott abaker Wed, 07/10/2024 - 14:07 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/cal-elliot-hero.jpg.webp?itok=z4XLSjcY July 12, 2024

By Hillery Hargadine

“If you're willing to learn, you move up really quickly. I always found that opportunities in kitchens were always there — you just have to learn how to watch and observe and be respectful. If you do all those things, you'd be amazed how quickly you learn and how quickly you're appreciated.”

While Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has become an international tourist destination attracting top talent from a number of creative industries, Chef Cal Elliott was a player in the neighborhood’s food and beverage scene before, in his words, “Brooklyn became a brand.”

Now a restaurateur and proud owner of the newly opened boutique hotel The Avery in downtown Boise, Idaho, the 91��߹ graduate has seen his fair share of changes throughout his many years in some of the country’s top kitchens. Ironically, Chef Cal’s first recollection of how he got into the culinary industry relates directly to the city he was committed to getting out of — Boise.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KovichCo | Interiors (@kovichco)

“My greatest ambition at 18 years old was to get out of Idaho,” he says. “I managed to do that and moved to New York when I was 19 and started working in restaurants — because that’s what you do when you’re a kid in New York.”

Though restaurant work may be a common jumping-off point for people looking to establish themselves in the city that never sleeps, Chef Cal found the work suited him. By 1999, he was not only working in the kitchen of Dan Barber’s esteemed Blue Hill restaurant, but was also enrolled in 91��߹’s Culinary Arts program on the weekends.

“Culinary school for me was about investing in something,” Chef Cal says. “I invested in myself and my career, so it made me take it seriously. Everyone [today] wants to feel like they know everything…just because you read or watch a YouTube video, that doesn’t mean you know how to do something.”

Toward the end of his culinary program at 91��߹, Chef Cal externed at Diane Forster’s Verbena and later worked under Chef Tom Collichio at Gramercy Tavern. Then, a career-making job presented itself at Colin Devlin’s newly opened Dumont in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which was quickly transforming into a culinary mecca.

“I took that job — it was kind of crazy — and somehow I ended up being the [head] chef," Chef Cal says. "That was my first [head] chef job.”

DuMont was only the beginning. From there, Chef Cal helped open DuMont Burger and then Dressler, which quickly became a darling of the New York food scene, garnering two stars from The New York Times as well as a Michelin star. With these successes under his belt, Chef Cal was ready to take his next step and open a place of his own.

Chef Cal opened his restaurant, RYE, in 2009. It was a true labor of love.

“I was the sole proprietor, I did all the things you're not supposed to do," he says. "You spend all this time in kitchens, and then you're supposed to get investors and do all that. And I just opened it with my own money and built it myself — it was one of those Brooklyn DIY projects that you could still kind of get away with back then.”

And "get away" with it he did. Rye was a huge success, even spurring Chef Cal to repurpose the building’s basement into a speakeasy fittingly named “The Bar Below RYE.” The restaurant made Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list the first year it opened, a distinction it retained for the next 10 years until the realities of the ever-changing neighborhood became untenable and the lease was set to expire.

“I spent 30 years in New York and my parents were starting to get [older] and I thought, maybe it’s a good time to change locations,” Chef Cal says.

Even before shuttering RYE in 2018, Chef Cal had started investing in a future in Idaho with the purchase of a historic building in downtown Boise in 2015. He and his designer wife had always intended to refurbish the building back to its original purpose as a small, downtown hotel. Construction on the 14 million dollar project was set to start in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on that plan.

Chef Cal then pivoted to what he knew best: opening a restaurant.

With hotel construction on hold, Chef Cal and his wife kicked off their presence in the Boise hospitality scene with Little Pearl Oyster Bar and Little Pearl Bar. According to their website, Little Pearl is a bistro at heart, “seasonally-driven and oyster-helmed…with a focus on fresh seafood and refined comfort food.”

The couple hopes the visitors who come to Boise for business or vacation (fishing in the Boise River and Sun Valley’s Big Wood River, skiing and hiking in Bogus Basin) will visit The Pearl, and their now-open hotel, The Avery. Chef Cal looks to position The Avery as an alternative to "soulless" lodging in the Idaho capital.

“We have a lot going on nearby and we have a lot of amenities [as well as] cool, sexy rooms," he says. "And we’re on historic Main Street, so you walk out and all the buildings are 100-plus years old, so we have great walkability…we pretty much have everything at our disposal.”

After working with federal and local governments, including the Parks Department, the Elliotts’ completed a full historic renovation.

Chef Cal attributes his passion for the project to his Boise roots.

“You can’t fake the building, it was in disarray and in need of some love," he says. "We did a bunch of engineering upgrades and structural upgrades, so it was probably not the smartest thing from a financial standpoint but I think being born and raised in Boise, I care about it, and it was the right thing to do.”

Any chef who has spent time in a hotel restaurant will tell you it’s a vastly different experience from running a stand-alone restaurant, but Chef Cal believes he can side-step a lot of those frustrations by being the sole proprietor of the building.

“The fact that we’re one ownership entity gives me a lot more freedom and flexibility, though it also adds a lot of pressure," he says. "I have a little more leeway than a typical third-party restaurant in a hotel where there are all sorts of contractual obligations.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Avery Hotel & Brasserie (@theaveryhotelboise)

As Chef Cal embarks on his new role as Property Owner and Hotelier he still has a lot of reflections when it comes to staffing and running restaurant kitchens, now in an entirely different market. When asked what he looks for in hiring upcoming chefs, he’s clear that it all comes down to character and work ethic.

“I want someone that is going to show up to work on time, is going to listen and is going to be respectful and fit into a respectful environment," he says. "The hours are long and you need people who are team-oriented. People who are there because they want to be there, not because they have to be there.”

This mentality seems straightforward, but Chef Cal cites the rise of celebrity chefs and food TV as putting a misleading spin on what life is really like in the culinary industry.

“People see celebrity chefs and things on TV and they become disillusioned about what the job really is, and they go into it for the wrong reasons," he says. "It’s not for the faint of heart, but it is super fair. If you can do the job and you’re willing and you learn, you can move up really quickly.”

Chef Cal puts these philosophies into practice when it comes to running his own kitchens.

So what advice does Chef Cal have for people looking to open restaurants of their own these days? Beyond a good attitude and a willingness to learn, he advises people to enter the realm of restaurant ownership with an understanding of how the industry works from a business perspective.

“It’s a different game now, you have corporations who are working on their branding two years before they open…they’re working on their digital marketing and their SEOs," he says. "That’s what I found when we opened Little Pearl in a small community..opening a restaurant and [expecting] people to find you by word of mouth or by foot? That’s gone.”

Reflecting on his own entry into the industry by way of 91��߹’s culinary program, Chef Cal recalls when he first set the goal he now has achieved several times over.

“It gave me a career perspective," Chef Cal says. "Enrolling [at 91��߹] was me being like ‘Okay, I’m going to try to be the best cook and learn everything I can from the back of the house to the front, and hopefully I’m gonna steer my own ship someday.”

And that, he did.

Alumni Hotels Hospitality Management Restaurant Management

Add new comment

Who is Online Culinary School Good For? Meet These 4 Graduates from 91��߹

ajohnson — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 22:08:08 +0000

Who is Online Culinary School Good For? Meet These 4 Graduates from 91��߹ ajohnson Fri, 06/28/2024 - 18:08 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/CAFO%20graduates%20group%20header.jpg.webp?itok=m-Hlxphr Culinary Arts & Food Operations Online graduates with Lead Chef-Instructor Shawn Matijevich at 91��߹'s commencement ceremony. Meet some of the business owners, cooks and parents who graduated from 91��߹'s Culinary Arts & Food Operations program in 2024. June 28, 2024

By Anna Johnson

As the Institute of Culinary Education continues to grow, so too does our number of graduates. In May 2024, 91��߹ celebrated the second class of Culinary Arts & Food Operations online graduates, with many more to come.

These alumni attended culinary school online for various reasons, including accessibility and ease of scheduling. In doing so, they chose to find their culinary voices by attending an accredited online culinary school with a curriculum developed by expert faculty.

The growth only continues for online culinary school at 91��߹. Since launching the Culinary Arts online diploma program, 91��߹ has also also launched Plant-Based Culinary Arts & Food Operations online and most recently Baking and Pastry Arts & Food Operations Online.

But who is online culinary school good for, really? Meet four of our recent graduates and hear directly from them about why they chose the online culinary program at 91��߹.

Meymuna Hussein-Cattan

From left: 91��߹ Chairman and Founder Rick Smilow, 91��߹ graduate Meymuna Hussein-Cattan and 91��߹ Lead Chef-Instructor Shawn Matijevich at commencement.

Meymuna Hussein-Cattan started her culinary school journey just as another chapter of her life was also unfolding — motherhood. Meymuna began the program not long after giving birth. Thanks to the flexible schedule of the Culinary Arts & Food Operations program, she was able to balance family life and school work enough to be able to enjoy both.

Though Meymuna has always loved food, her relationship with the restaurant world before 91��߹ was solely as a business owner.

"When I first started [at 91��߹], you could have called me a 'hobbyist,'" Meymuna says. "And now, I feel like it really upgraded my understanding of the culinary arts and also, what I've chosen to be — committed to excellence.”

Meymuna is the owner of Flavors from Afar, a Los Angeles restaurant that partners with the Tiyya Foundation to host refugee chefs who present curated, rotating menus of dishes from their home countries. The restaurant has made waves since opening in 2020: it was named as one of the LA Times' 101 Best Restaurants and a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand for two years in a row.

Aside from Meymuna, Flavors from Afar has a very near connection to 91��߹ Los Angeles — Restaurant & Culinary Management graduate Kenna Copes was the former head chef at the restaurant. Seeing Chef Kenna's exemplary work ethic and skills firsthand is what inspired Meymuna to look into culinary school at 91��߹ for herself. She wanted to be able to help her team as a business owner and as a chef.

"I think it takes a team effort," Meymuna says. "Front of house and back of house should be working together simultaneously. I could now not only market the restaurant, but I could roll up my sleeves and help out as a prep cook."

After 16 months of communicating online, Meymuna and Chef Shawn take a photo together in person.

As her career continues to flourish, Meymuna feels confident about her choice to pursue education at 91��߹.

"If you're on the fence [about] going to culinary school, I would say just jump in anyway with two feet," she says. "It's only going to make your career and your journey that much better and refined. And if you choose not to [go], I think you'll miss out on learning who you could become in the process."

Jason Sims

Jason Sims (center) with 91��߹ LA commencement speaker Chef Evan Funke and 91��߹ Chairman and Founder Rick Smilow at commencement.

After 40 years in the hospitality industry, Jason Sims was ready to start cooking. He's currently the owner of the Merritt House Hotel in Monterey, California and has worked in many food and beverage and hotel properties during his professional life.

The Culinary Arts & Food Operations online program found Jason at the perfect time. He was searching for ways to further his career, and found an online option that worked for his schedule as a business owner and was accessible to his location in Northern California.

Courtesy: Jason Sims.

When Jason started the program, he faced some initial challenges with the technology involved in taking a 16-month online program, but he quickly adapted with help from the program's Lead Chef-Instructor Shawn Matijevich.

"Chef Shawn was able to help me from the very beginning, personally, since I had very little knowledge of the technology in the program," Jason says. "Chef Shawn definitely made it so that I was not feeling uncomfortable asking for help. And at this age, sometimes it's hard to ask for help. I asked, and it was a fantastic beginning to the program. And it kept me going."

Even after years in the hospitality industry, Jason says he still found plenty to learn in the online culinary school program's varied curriculum.

Every step of this program had something new and exciting to learn.

"Every day was a new challenge. And that's what I enjoyed about it. Being in the industry for 40 years, I felt I knew everything, but I did not, even in the learning aspect. What I really enjoyed was learning about different cultures when we got into more international cooking. That was a lot of fun. And it gave me a lot of creative ideas for a restaurant opportunity in the future. Every step of this program had something new and exciting to learn."

Looking toward the future, Jason has big plans for his newly-acquired culinary skills.

"The goal is for me to start catering for six months to a year or so," Jason says. "And then, there's a property next to my hotel, which I plan on putting the restaurant in within the next couple of years."

Courtesy: Jason Sims.

Zakia "Trisha" Answary

Zakia "Trisha" Answary (center, with green sash) smiles with her family at 91��߹'s commencement ceremony. Courtesy: Trisha Answary

Zakia "Trisha" Answary always knew she loved to cook. While growing up in Bangladesh, she says she loved to watch cooking shows on TV. But, at the time, her family didn't see working in the kitchen as a viable career. So, she went to medical school.

After Trisha had gotten married, started a family and moved to Canada, cooking entered back into her life in a big way. She remembers all of the friends she and her husband used to host who raved about her cooking.

"They would go 'Oh, my God, your cooking is so good. So why don't you open something up?' But, I wanted to learn first," Trisha says.

Courtesy: Trisha Answary.

Another move to Milpitas, California with her family found Trisha spending time at home with her young children, cooking still on her mind. But traditional culinary school wouldn't work with her schedule as a homemaker. Soon enough, though, things would change.

"One day, my husband saw the online culinary program that 91��߹ was offering," she says. "He said 'Why don't you give it a try? So, that's how I came to 91��߹."

When Trisha started her coursework, she found the process of cooking on her own and uploading pictures and videos of her creations slightly challenging. In the end, though, she thinks doing so helped her be meticulous with each dish as she made it, since she wanted to present the best possible product each time.

In Trisha's case, while she benefitted from the lectures, kitchen-based labs and educational materials in the online culinary program, her family also benefitted from all of the food she cooked on a weekly basis. She says her children's favorite dishes were all from the pastry section of the program.

Trisha's mother even visited from Bangladesh and tried one of the salads she made during her Fundamentals 1 course. Trisha says she loved it.

"She was from Bangladesh, we have different kinds of cuisine," Trisha says. "When she was trying the salad, I believe it was pear and cranberry salad, she said 'Oh my God, it's good! It's very good. I really like it.'"

Trisha says completing the online culinary program while taking care of her kids was a lot of work, but so worth it for her in the end. Though right now she's enjoying a bit of calm post-graduation, she hopes to one day open her own restaurant.

No matter where she ends up, though, Trisha is confident she'll be cooking.

One of Trisha's dishes made for online culinary school. Courtesy: Trisha Answary.

"I always wanted to be a chef. I enjoy cooking. I do it out of love," she says. "It's what I wanted for so long. And it was a great journey."

Jericho Chun-Lai

Jericho Chun-Lai (left) and his family at 91��߹'s commencement ceremony.

Though 91��߹'s Culinary Arts & Food Operations online program is accredited in many states in the United States, as the program has grown, many students have come from California or nearby states such Arizona and Texas.

Jericho Chun-Lai, however, is from a bit further away. He's 91��߹'s first online culinary student from Hawaiʻi, specifically the Big Island.

Jericho has been cooking in professional kitchens for years. He started thinking about attending culinary school while mapping out his future in the industry. As he worked his way up through various hotel kitchens, he found his bosses expecting more of him in each role.

One of Jericho's plated dishes from 91��߹'s online culinary school program. Courtesy: Jericho Chun-Lai

"The chefs, they're wanting to see more," Jericho says. "So I told myself, if they want more, I gotta buckle down and learn more."

Jericho chose to attend online culinary school because the schedule was flexible with his full-time job and with raising a family. He says there were many days he would get home after work, open his laptop and start learning.

For Jericho, one of the most challenging parts of the online culinary program was finding the ingredients for each dish. Though the program has a set curriculum with certain dishes, 91��߹'s online Chef-Instructors are always willing to help students find substitutions for ingredients that are hard to source in certain areas, which was the case for Jericho.

One of his favorite lessons was during the international portion of the program.

“I learned how to make sushi," Jericho says. "Coming from Hawaii that's very authentic food and cuisine. That's one memory I will take wherever I go in the culinary field."

When it came time for his in-person commencement ceremony at 91��߹, Jericho decided to celebrate in a big way. He, his wife and his one-year-old daughter flew to Pasadena, CA to attend the event — and they went to Disneyland afterward.

Jericho's gracious attitude and determination set him up for success at 91��߹. Now, he's equipped with knowledge to continue pursuing his culinary dreams.

"91��߹ is all you could ever ask for in an online school," Jericho says. "These instructors, the chefs, the support guys behind the scenes, they're all here for you. Coming personally from a guy from Hawaiʻi, I never thought I would go this far without 91��߹."

91��߹ is all you could ever ask for in an online school.

Onward, upward and full of flavor. Congratulations to all of our 2024 graduates!

Alumni Culinary Arts Graduation

Alumni

91����߹ Graduates in the News: September 2024

Add new comment

Chef Onika Brown's Journey to Pastry

Add new comment

How 91����߹ Grad Steven Gao's Daily Life Earned Him 300k Followers

Add new comment

How Marc Murphy Transformed His Culinary Passion into Community Impact

Add new comment

Cooking On Tour with Chef Sandra Gajovsky

Add new comment

From Counseling to Confections: Chef Rebecca Shuster’s Sweet Journey

Add new comment

From AI Entrepreneur to Plant-Forward Restaurateur, Meet 91����߹ Alum Kiran Narayanan

Add new comment

Cooking in the Catering World with Chef Hope Glendon

Add new comment

From Celebrated Brooklyn Chef to Boise Hotelier, Meet 91����߹ Alum Cal Elliott

Add new comment

Who is Online Culinary School Good For? Meet These 4 Graduates from 91����߹

Meymuna Hussein-Cattan

Jason Sims

Zakia "Trisha" Answary

Jericho Chun-Lai

Add new comment

91��߹ Graduates in the News: September 2024

How 91��߹ Grad Steven Gao's Daily Life Earned Him 300k Followers

From AI Entrepreneur to Plant-Forward Restaurateur, Meet 91��߹ Alum Kiran Narayanan

From Celebrated Brooklyn Chef to Boise Hotelier, Meet 91��߹ Alum Cal Elliott

Who is Online Culinary School Good For? Meet These 4 Graduates from 91��߹