Gary's love for cooking started in the kitchen with his sister, where they spent hours baking all kinds of goods. She taught him how to make various treats, but his favorite thing to make was pizza. These cooking sessions inspired Gary to dream of opening his own restaurant. With this goal in mind, Gary found Sprouts and was paired with Chef Gretchen Ortiz at Componere Fine Catering.

‍

Despite his baking background, Gary had much to learn about working in a professional kitchen. Chef Gretchen made sure to go slow and show him the ropes. She started him off with knife skills and gradually introduced him to the different stations in the kitchen. As his skills improved, he was given more responsibility, thinly slicing vegetables and creating new salads for the staff. Gary is proud of his experience at Componere Fine Catering and is excited to show off his new skills in the kitchen with his sister. His sister reached out to Sprouts thanking us for giving him this opportunity, as she’s seen first-hand how much joy this experience has brought him.

‍

When he's not cooking with her, he likes to spend his time making beats or melodies. Gary hopes to apply the culinary essentials he learned through this program to his own restaurant one day and turn his passion for cooking into a lifelong career.