Wonjei first moved to the U.S. to earn his undergraduate degree in computer science from Indiana State University. While completing his studies, he worked a part-time job as a barista to make extra...
Chef Alan Kang was born to Taiwanese parents in Northern California until his father's plan to open a haute Chinese restaurant in San Francisco was thwarted by the earthquake of 1989. The family moved...
“My uncle was a pastry chef and I used to watch him make these huge, elaborate cakes,” Charles remembers. “I knew I wanted to do that someday, but I got into the martial arts with my cousin, Malik...
Over the course of many demonstrations and conversations, we engaged with everything from pasta to beef butchery to omotenashi, the art of Japanese hospitality. We explored food media, restaurant...
Before Damon Henderson was wearing a chef’s uniform, he wore a correctional officer uniform at the Los Angeles County jail. Chef Damon followed his father, an LA County sheriff, into law enforcement...
From Football to a Future in Food During the eight years Shaun Cody played professional football with the NFL, he had one thing on his mind off the field: food. “When guys on the team would be excited...
“I’ve always liked having a job where you could produce something tangible,” David explains, referring to his early years at the drive-thru. In high school, he also worked as a deli sandwich maker and...
Growing up in central Connecticut, Tyler Heckman (Culinary, ‘15) displayed artistic talent from an early age. He attended a magnet high school for visual arts, then studied illustration at the...
Saul recounts, “my first job was actually at Porto’s Bakery where my dad has been working for 20-something years.” Here, Saul began as a server, but it wasn’t long before he became “intrigued by the...
While growing his restaurant empire, he launched Lucky Peach magazine and continues to host edgy food programs, from “Mind of a Chef” on PBS to “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix. More recently, Chef David...
A native New Yorker with Brooklyn roots, he grew up in a household where cooking and vegetable gardening were some of his parents’ passions. In his teens and 20s, Michael’s passions were artistic, but...
“Ever since I was in high school, I always wanted to join the military,” Victor explains. Though when he graduated, he took a detour to earn a degree in graphic design and web development first. He...
