A conversation with Monica Garrett

University of South Florida (class of 2014)

Major: Fine Arts

 

 

Monica graduated from West Boca High School in Boca Raton, Florida.  She attended their Culinary Academy and is a member of the academy’s first graduating class. Careerzing asked Monica to share her experiences in the academy and tell us how it helped her explore her college major and career choices.

 

 

CZ: Why did you choose to go to the culinary academy?

 

Monica: I didn’t go there with the idea of becoming a chef. I was interested in learning about food safety, how to properly using kitchen utensils and learning my way around a professional kitchen.  I thought all of those lessons would be helpful in life.  What I was learning was very cool. I had fun telling my mom she’s using the wrong knife or cutting the wrong way.

 

CZ: How interested in cooking were you when you started there?

 

Monica: When I started I wasn’t as interested.  The first year is all book work and baking cookies.  But as you got to work with meats and other types of foods, I started to like the class better and decided to stay on another year.  

 

CZ: How did the lessons and work change with every year?

 

Monica: The first few years were basically book work, sanitation, and kitchen safety.  By the third year we were cooking a variety of different things.  We had class for 3 periods per week.  The fourth year was more practical and related to the food industry.  We’d go to class but we’d also help out serving lunches and worked other events.  They have on-the-job training which is what I did.  You had to work 5 hours a week to fulfill the requirements. 

 

CZ:  Did they give the participants the choice to do class work or go out and work in a job?

 

Monica: Yes, you could choose.  I had a job catering on the side, so I chose the job option and worked in the field.  It got me out of the classroom which was nice too.

 

CZ: How did that help you in terms of deciding if it is something you wanted to do when you got out of high school?  Or something you didn’t want to do?

 

Monica: It is something I like to do but I know I don’t want to do it as a career.  It’s stressful, in the food industry, to put things together.  It’s fun to bus tables or waitress but I wouldn’t want to manage it.  But I have many friends who went through the institute who are sticking with culinary.

 

CZ: Do you think that what they did in that culinary program helped them decide? 

 

Monica: Oh yes!  Because in addition to the classes, they offered after school competitions – like cake baking.  My best friend won that competition – the first prize for her wedding cake.  And she’s becoming a pastry chef now.  The program  really helps some people to choose “culinary” as a career.

 

CZ: What do you think of the school’s facility?

 

Monica: It is really nice.  It reminds me of one of those fancy restaurants – very professional and plenty of room to work.

 

CZ: And how did that help you be interested?  Did the facility hold your interest in the program?

 

Monica: If it wasn’t nice, I wouldn’t have liked it as much.

 

CZ: So what are your plans for college?

 

Monica: I am starting school this fall and declaring a Fine Arts major.  I’m going to specialize in sculpture.  But I want to go into art as a business – manage galleries and maybe do museum curating.

 

CZ: How did you decide on that?

 

Monica: My dad is an artist so he was a big influence.  Sculpture was my favorite class.  It kind of worked out with culinary because I like to work with clay and that helped when I worked with kneading dough. 

 

CZ: Tell me where you’re going to school.

 

Monica: University of South Florida in Tampa

 

CZ: Why did you pick USF?

 

Monica: I wanted to stay in Florida because of access to the Bright Future Scholarship and I wanted to be around the warm weather.  They have a nice campus.  They have good art department. 

 

CZ: How much of your Dad’s influence – career and work – influenced your decision?

 

Monica: A lot since it’s been around me my whole life.

 

CZ: What were the other factors that helped your decision?

 

Monica: When I took a course in ceramics, I realized it was what I really liked to do.  I always liked being around art.  This year I went to festivals all the time.  It was a perfect choice for me to stay with it.   I would like to start a gallery some day. 

 

CZ: Why did you decide to do that rather than just making art?

 

Monica: I like the whole business.  I will get bored if it’s just creating art all the time

 

CZ: Have you ever seen anyone in that field or doing that work?

 

Monica: I go to galleries with my dad. Recently I have been going to Delray Beach - the galleries around Atlantic Avenue.

 

CZ: Do you have plans during school to test drive that business to see if you are good at it?

 

Monica: I want to go to the museums on campus – see if it is fun to work around it.  Get as much exposure as I can.

 

CZ: You seem pretty sure about your choice though.

 

Monica: Yes, it was between that and writing for a food & wine magazine - so there’s my culinary stuff coming back.

 

CZ: So do you think you will bring the culinary back into your career or do you think it will always be for fun?

 

Monica: If art doesn’t work out, that’s my second favorite thing.  I would rather write about food – knowing about food but not having to be cooking everyday.

 

CZ: You made an interesting connection between working with food with your hands and being an artist.  Were there any other connections that you learned in culinary that you say would relate to the art world?

 

Monica: I found sculpture and ceramics related to working with food.  In ceramics I picked up how to roll out clay – in culinary it helped me develop my skills working with doughs and other items requiring work with my hands.

 

CZ: Did you ever do cake baking? 

 

Monica: I didn’t build big cakes and bond them. But we made cakes with supports, and did do some decorating. 

 

CZ: Well, it was a pleasure talking with you.  We enjoyed hearing about your career explorations.  Good luck in college!

 

Monica: Thanks for talking with me!