911 student Inaya-Shakeira N. Odd was homeschooled from fourth grade until graduation. During this time, she became passionate about all things culinary, sitting in front of the TV watching cooking shows and hanging out in the kitchen watching her mother bake.
These experiences made Odd say, “‘You know what? I think this is something I want to do.’”
Want to get a taste of what it's like to study culinary arts at RCBC? Check out the latest episode of The Program Pod, where student Destiny Maldonado takes a deep dive into recipes, a passion she learned from her family, and shares how RCBC's hands-on culinary program is helping her reach her career goals. .
With the only culinary education coming from culinary shows, Odd has gained more robust and viable skills after enrolling at RCBC as a Culinary Technology, Hospitality, and Tourism major. “Once I started doing culinary school, I realized that there was just so much more I needed to learn,” Odd said. She acquired cutting skills, knife cleaning techniques, measurement conversion, and many new recipes.
Cooking is an art, Odd says, and it’s what she loves the most when stepping into the kitchen. “I can turn any dish into my own and put so much imagination into it.”
Less tangibly, RCBC’s culinary program has been a way for Odd to connect with other people who love cooking.
“I never would have thought I would be able to connect with so many other people,” Odd said. “I made quite a lot of friends here. And it’s such a beautiful thing, because we all really understand each other, and the fact that we have such a passion for cooking.”
Odd hopes her passion for cooking takes her all around the world. Paris and Japan are her dream destinations, returning to her baking roots and highlighting her love for Asian cuisine.
It doesn’t matter if the days ahead are long and fast-paced. For Odd, working hard means she feels like she’s really working.
“The worst I’d feel is tired after a long day. When I can put so much effort into cooking, at the end of the day, if I feel proud of myself, I can say, ‘Okay, this doesn’t feel like a job. This feels like a passion.’”
