Culinary School Spotlight: Matinya Love
August 6, 2018
By Ashley Stahmer, Communications Intern
After Matinya Love heard her friend’s praises of The Culinary School, she knew had to apply for the program. Even though she has always liked cooking, she only started to consider it a possible career in the past year. Matinya planned to go to community college, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue and chose to postpone her plans until she had a clearer idea.
The Culinary School has helped Matinya clarify her goals. Through the lessons and cooking experience, she feels like she has a better idea of the food service industry and what that career would be like. “I knew this program could provide the direction I needed,” she says. “Now that I’m about to graduate, I feel like I have that. It shaped my plans and made them more precise.”
Once she finishes the program, Matinya hopes to expand her skill set and gain more experience in the real world. Her goal is to learn how to cook as many different styles of cuisine as possible. In five years, she plans to be working as a sous chef and hopefully on her way towards being an executive chef. Eventually, she would like to open a teahouse or café. She says, “This class is a great stepping stone. There’s a lot of support from the staff and program manager.”
The supportive environment is just one aspect of The Culinary School that Matinya appreciates. She emphasizes how much she’s learned, and it hasn’t only been cooking skills. The chefs and her fellow students have helped her learn more life skills that she hopes to use when she enters the professional world. She says that she’s thankful for “the advice and insight the chefs and kitchen professionals provide about working in the kitchen” because it’s helped shape more realistic expectations for her career in the food service industry.
Matinya is excited to finish the program and see what is next for her. She says that she has been recommending The Culinary School to all of her friends and family, because she feels everyone could benefit from the course. “I would suggest this program to someone else, and I’ve been doing that when people ask what I’m doing,” she emphasizes. “It’s thorough and helps you learn about the industry and skills.”
Interested in a career in the food service industry? Click here to learn more about The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware!
