meet cj
Where are you from and what high school did you attend?
I’m from Dorchester and attended Boston Latin Academy.
Besides cooking, what other passions and interests do you have? How do you fulfill these passions/interests?
I like to read and be outside in nature and be around my friends.
What would you tell other young people who are interested in joining our program about Future Chefs?
Definitely join! It's really easy to make friends and everyone here just bonds in some way. So you are bound to make acquaintances. You gain a lot of skills even if you don’t want to pursue a career in the kitchen. It prepares you for a real job like an 8-hour shift-type vibe.
What are your school, career, and life goals over the next 3-5 years?
Graduate from Bunker Hill in 2 years and transfer to another university. I hope to get a business degree that I can use to open a bar. In the meantime, I’ll work as a bartender.
How did you hear about Future Chefs? What made you join the program?
I heard about FC at my school, through our bulletin board. My mom also sent me an email about it and I joined the program. What inspired me to join is my passion for cooking.
How has the Future Chefs program impacted you?
It makes me more confident. It's so easy to talk to people here so I don’t have that fear. The space… you just feel so free here and I don’t act any differently from how I do outside of FC. Also, the group agreements we have here - I’m starting use them outside of FC. I use the essential skills like communication too. I never talked about how I feel and what is wrong with me. But the staff here are willing to listen, and now I can do that with the people in my life. Also, I’m taking initiative, if something happens in the kitchen, you don’t blame it on someone else. You take accountability for it, and I’m trying to use this in my life outside of FC.