Top accomplishment this year:
Adapting my grandfather’s recipe for sweet potato pie, which received many compliments, as a holiday dessert across the district.
What would you say you excel at over more seasoned employees?
I excel at interacting with our students and keeping them engaged. I am very energetic during food demonstrations and classes, so I’m usually the chef called to handle the kid-driven events.
What is your favorite kitchen hack?
Everyone knows that it’s hard to get kids to eat their vegetables, so my kitchen hacks are usually based on incorporating or hiding vegetables. For example, I made a great chocolate chip cookie that utilizes zucchini.
What experience have you learned an important lesson from?
You don’t know how to prep and conduct a food demo until you have completed one. The first demo I did was awful. Now that I conduct them on a regular basis, I realize that your demo rarely goes as you planned. I prep for at least two different scenarios, because you never know what will happen.