Meet Some Graduates
Every summer, students arrive with curiosity and leave with real skills. Here are some of their stories.
Eli
From Zero Experience to Cooking Dinner for His Family Every Week
Eli came to Summer Culinary the summer before his junior year with no cooking experience and a lot of curiosity. What he left with was a set of real skills, a group of friends who shared his passion, and a confidence in the kitchen that surprised even him.
“I didn't know how to hold a knife when I got there. By the end of the week I was breaking down a whole chicken. My parents couldn't believe it.”
— Eli, Summer Culinary 2025
Walking In With No Experience
Eli had never taken a cooking class before Summer Culinary. He had watched cooking videos online and helped his mom with simple things, but he had never worked with professional equipment or learned real technique. "I was nervous," he says. "Everyone else seemed like they knew what they were doing." Within the first morning, that changed.
The Knife Skills Moment
The first full day of class included a knife skills session that Eli still talks about. "The instructor showed us the right grip, the right motion, and suddenly it all made sense. I went from being scared of the knife to actually enjoying the process." By midweek he was julienning vegetables and breaking down proteins with real confidence.
Friday Competition
Like every student at Summer Culinary, Eli competed in the Friday Mystery Basket Competition. His team drew a basket with duck breast, pomegranate, and fennel. "We had 45 minutes and we just went for it. We made a pan-seared duck with a pomegranate reduction and shaved fennel salad. The judges actually loved it." His team placed second.
Life After Summer Culinary
Since returning home, Eli has cooked dinner for his family at least once a week. He has experimented with pasta from scratch, tried his hand at sauces he learned in class, and has started talking about culinary school as a real possibility after college. "It opened a door I did not know was there," he says.
“He came home and made us dinner that first night back. A real dinner — seared chicken, roasted vegetables, a sauce. I honestly teared up. He was so proud of himself, and he should have been.”
— Eli's mom
“He placed second in the Friday Competition with a pan-seared duck and pomegranate reduction — a dish he had never attempted before.”
Read Eli's Full Student Snapshot
A one-page profile of his experience, in his own words.
More Graduates Coming Soon
We are collecting stories from students across all three campuses. Here is a preview of who is coming next.
Maya
Pastry concentration. Now sells her macarons at a local farmers market.
Jordan
Came in shy, left as team captain of the Friday Competition.
Priya
Applied to culinary school after her Summer Culinary experience.
Ready to write your own story?
Enroll for Summer 2027