The best part of my day growing up was coming home from school and turning on the Food Network. I’d spend hours watching my favorite chefs, Bobby Flay and Ina Garten, make their signature dishes, hoping to be just like them one day.
I dreamed of becoming a chef, having my own restaurant, and being colleagues with both Food Network stars.
Although culinary school wasn’t the path I took to work with the food industry, area students in parts of Ohio and Michigan are living out the dreams I once had. And now — I get to share their stories.
It starts at Owens
“I’ve always loved cooking so much,” said Amelia Rice, a second year culinary student at Owens Community College, one of the only northwest Ohio schools that offers a culinary arts program. “There wasn’t really anything else I wanted to go to school for.”
Rice, who is a Toledo native, added that one of her favorite courses during her time at Owens has been International Cooking, since she learned about different cultures and their traditional dishes.