What do chefs and cooks do ?

It all depends. Prep cooks, who are at the bottom of the kitchen totem pole, spend their time getting food items ready for the other chefs. They chop vegetables, prepare meats for cooking and weigh and measure ingredients. Line cooks are responsible primarily for cooking the food along with the sous chefs, who are the head chef's second in command. A head chef is the kitchen boss. He or she not only has to be able to cook food and lead a team of kitchen workers but also has to figure out how much food will be needed for the week and order food and supplies. At some restaurants, head chefs create the restaurant's menu and adjust it depending on the seasonality or availability of food - so being able to cook amazing dishes from scratch is a must.

Overcoming personal and financial obstacles, Marianna Culebro graduated from SDCI in December 2012 and has since opened her own restaurant, Gourmet Xpress, in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico.

Before knowing the “sweet success” she deserved, she applied for a professional cooking school from 2003 to 2012. Her dedication is the key which lead her to achieve her culinary dream. Getting up at 4 every day, holding hours of bus, training and family duties was no pleasure cruise. She didn’t know it was impossible that’s why she did it. Here is her heartwarming success story.

Joyful Nghala, like all intelligent and aspirant young girls, matriculated from high school with dreams of a golden future.

The realities of rampant unemployment soon hit home however, and she was forced to find work that didn’t promise much prospect. Despite everything, Joyful never lost the wonderful spirit for which she is so appropriately named. A chance stroll to the local post office gave Joyful the lucky break she had been longing for : In 2013, Joyful Nghala, was trainee chef at the Singita School of Cooking. She successfully completed a challenging 18-month stint in the school’s kitchens. She is now employed and is poised to become an extremely valuable member of her team.

By opening 16 successful restaurants Kevin Boehm have not only built a successful restaurant group, but have established a restaurant culture built on great chefs, inspired hospitality, and amazing design.

Born in 1970, Boehm grew up in Springfield, Illinois and knew at a young age he was destined to be in the restaurant business. He saved enough money as a server to open his first restaurant in 1992, the quaint Lazy Daze Café, in Seaside, Florida. Boehm has been a featured speaker at the National Restaurant Show, got several awards, and sat on the board of Trustees for the Hope Institute for 7 years. Kevin lives with his wife and children in Roscoe Village.