VGCC Culinary Student wins trip to national restaurant show


VGCC Culinary Arts student Jessica Cheek, pictured holding hors d'oeuvres at the college’s “Business & Music After Hours” event in Feb. 2012.

Jessica B. Cheek of Oxford, a Culinary Arts student at Vance-Granville Community College, recently won an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 National Restaurant Association Show, held May 5-8 in Chicago. Cheek entered a contest on web site of the culinary apparel provider, ChefUniforms.com, in which culinary students and professionals from across the country submitted their name, photo, and an essay on why they deserved to win the free trip. Visitors to the site then voted for their favorite contestant. Cheek received 571 votes, edging the runner-up by only four votes.

In her essay, Cheek wrote, “I deserve to win this trip because culinary for me is an absolute passion. It is what I do every day and will be doing for the rest of my life. I know that cooking is what I was born to do…When I am in the kitchen, I feel like I am on top of the world.” She said that her primary interest is in baking, particularly cakes, but she decided to become a well-rounded professional by enrolling in the VGCC program in 2011. “I am truly glad that I made this decision,” Cheek said, praising the quality instruction she is receiving. “I made the dean’s list this past semester and I am also joining the honor society. I have so much fun in school and I love going!” She added to her submission a photo and recipe for a cake made to resemble a cheeseburger, which she said she baked for her brother’s fourth birthday. “I hope that someday I can be an inspiration to children. My two brothers are my heroes and are part of the reasons I do what I do,” Cheek said. “Any cake they can dream up, I make for them every birthday.”

After she won the contest, Cheek described how honored and excited she was to be going to the NRA show. “I will benefit so much from my trip to the NRA in so many ways. I hope to learn many things that will help me be successful when starting up a bakery for myself, which has always been a dream of mine. It will also be super great to see all the top chefs that will be attending the show.” She also gave advice to future culinary professionals in an interview on the ChefUniforms.com site: “The first day of culinary school, I was told something that is very dear to my heart: ‘Don’t let the fear of failure overcome the joy of success.’ If you keep this mindset, you will always be successful in everything that you do.”

The NRA Show brings together the best and brightest in the restaurant, food-service and hospitality industry for four days of discovery, sourcing, networking and entertainment. The show draws more than 58,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to Chicago each May—all seeking or showcasing the newest innovations and up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues. This year’s event features a keynote speech by former President Bill Clinton and live demonstrations by some of the world’s top chefs.

VGCC’s two-year Culinary Arts degree program, based at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, prepares students for entry-level professional positions in restaurants, hotels, catering operations, health-care facilities, schools and other institutions. For more information about the Culinary program, call Chef Ross Ragonese at (919) 690-0312.