View some of the success stories from graduates of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco Cooking, Baking, Patisserie and Culinary Arts programs.
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Sarah Henkin
Graduated: 2007, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts
Current Position: Market Chef, The Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture, San Francisco, California
Sarah Henkin’s love for food stems from the fresh produce that grows year-round in California. As a child, Sarah was inspired by the families of her many friends from Mexico who took pride in making everything from scratch. During her family’s frequent visits to Chicago, Sarah’s grandfather took her to the city’s many ethnic restaurants, offering delights from around the world. With each new cuisine she tried, Sarah became more fascinated with food and the art of cooking.
Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from Chico State in 2001, and moved to San Francisco upon completing her undergraduate studies. She first began to contemplate a career in the culinary arts during frequent trips to the Ferry
Plaza farmers market. After experimenting with ingredients she found at the farmers market, Sarah decided it was time to take her skills to a professional level, and took a tour of the California Culinary Academy (CCA) campus. She chose CCA because of the enthusiasm and passion for cooking she encountered when talking with the chef instructors during her visit. “The love for cooking is contagious,” says Sarah.
In 2007, Sarah graduated from California Culinary Academy with an Associate of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts. Looking back on her experiences at CCA, she found that learning how to cook calmly under pressure was among the most valuable skills she acquired. Sarah explains that “staying present while cooking is really important in any culinary career.”
Sarah’s favorite style of cooking, involves two elements: fresh ingredients and a friendly gathering of people. She describes her cooking style as market-inspired, which involves building a recipe with produce that is on hand and in season. Her favorite time of year for cooking is the summertime, where she can create simple and delicious dishes using produce like fresh peaches and heirloom tomatoes. One of her meals of choice to prepare for friends and family is pizza, because everyone can get involved and personalize their pizza with fresh, seasonal ingredients. She also enjoys the simplicity of a perfectly roasted chicken, served with lots of vegetables on the side.
Today, Sarah is the Market Chef at the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), a San Francisco-based organization that works toward improving sustainable food systems. CUESA also operates the Ferry Plaza farmers market. In her role as Market Chef, Sarah works with world-renowned chefs to create culinary demonstrations and educational programs that integrate the fresh, local produce that first inspired her.
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Denise Keeler
Place of birth: Montréal, Québec
Graduation: 2004, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Associate of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality & Restaurant Management
Current Position: General Manager, Left Bank Brasserie, San Mateo, California
As the daughter of a personal chef and caterer, it is no surprise that Denise Keeler pursued a career in the restaurant industry. Growing up watching her mother concoct classic French dishes gave her a deep appreciation for traditional French culinary methods and an insider’s look into the work behind each dish. These initial experiences with French cuisine planted the seeds for a successful career in hospitality & restaurant management.
However, her culinary journey did not follow a direct path. Early on, she did not dream of pursuing a career in the restaurant industry and actually began working in a bar as a favor for a close friend. It was during her time at the bar that Denise witnessed both the positive and negative aspects of bar and restaurant life. In particular, Denise realized that there was a need for achieving greater operational efficiency and improving employee turnover rates, common problems in the industry.
After marrying the boy next door, Denise accompanied him on a life-changing move to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she made the decision to pursue her growing interest in restaurant management. It was at that point the California Culinary Academy (CCA) entered her life. Attracted by CCA’s strong reputation and affiliation with Le Cordon Bleu, a name she associated with culinary greatness and her mother, Denise became a Hospitality & Restaurant Management student.
Under the tutelage of CCA’s talented Hospitality & Restaurant Management instructors, Denise gained the skills and experience required to help position her for success in the restaurant industry. In fact, it was at one of CCA’s job fairs where she met the human resources director of Left Bank Brasserie and secured an externship at the San Jose location.
After graduating in 2004, Denise was hired on full-time at the Left Bank Brasserie and over the next three years, climbed to the position of Assistant General Manager. In December 2007, she was promoted to General Manager at the San Mateo location. When asked why she was selected by the Left Bank Brasserie, she attributes her success to the experience she gained at CCA, as well as her positive disposition. “CCA gave me the confidence to delegate and make decisions.”
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Chef Leonard J. King
Graduated: 2000, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Associate of Occupational Science in Le Cordon Blue Culinary Arts
Chef Leonard J. King discovered his passion for cooking when he was a kid, helping out in the kitchen of a local family restaurant. But it was a later event that would define his career: he entered a culinary competition that challenged contestants to develop an original recipe reflecting the characteristics of a specific wine. He was paired with a winemaker from Thomas Coyne Winery and handed a bottle of late harvest Zinfandel. That experience sparked an interest in the creative possibilities of flavor pairing and recipe development.
At the time, Chef Len was still a student at California Culinary Academy (CCA). He chose CCA out of a desire to learn from “chefs who really understand the profession.” He landed an internship at The Dining Room, the famed, five-star restaurant of The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu’s program at CCA in 2000.
Chef Len worked his way up from line cook to executive chef, eventually transitioning to his interest in food research and development. He headed up innovative research at Stockpot Soups, a division of Campbell’s Food Group, earning an Extraordinary People Award for sales achievement. He is now Senior Research Chef at McCormick, a 120-year-old global company known for its diverse flavor offerings and expertise. Chef Len earned the company’s Star Thrower Award for a now-patented discovery.
Chef Len believes Le Cordon Bleu provides a solid background into the culinary world because it exposes students to all facets of the trade—butchery, pastry, food service management and more. He also offers this advice: “Understand that you don’t always start at the top, but with a lot of hard work you can get there.”
Visit McCormick & Company’s site at www.mccormick.com.
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Jonnatan Leiva
Graduation: 1999, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Associate of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts
Current Position: Executive Chef, Jack Falstaff, San Francisco, California
Raised in San Francisco’s Excelsior District but originally from El Salvador, Jonnatan Leiva grew up around his family’s dining table sharing food and good times. Watching his grandmother prepare traditional Spanish dishes for her family, Jonnatan learned that great food is a result of combining passion and respect for the ingredients with a sense of fun and adventure. These traits shine through the food he prepares at Jack Falstaff and won him a place on the San Francisco Chronicle’s coveted list of Best New Chefs of San Francisco 2008.
After graduating from high school and doing some thinking about what to do next, a friend suggested that Jonnatan’s talents in the kitchen might equate to an interesting and meaningful career for him. While other culinary schools were under consideration,
attending California Culinary Academy (CCA) was an easy choice to make, as he could both stay in his hometown and take advantage of the bountiful produce of Northern California.
At CCA, Jonnatan was amongst the youngest in his class. Driven to earn
the respect of his peers and overcome his inexperience, he was motivated to learn as much as he could about not only technique, but also the ingredients he was cooking with. As he learned to respect the product, Jonnatan’s instructors at CCA taught him to respect the kitchen and his place in it.
After graduating in 1999, Jonnatan cooked professionally in France and across the United States in kitchens such as Union Pacific in New York City, La Palme D'Or at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, and at home in San Francisco at The Fifth Floor,
Boulevard, and Incanto. While in Paris he witnessed firsthand what he describes as the “intensity and lifestyle of food that they live and breathe” and that really opened his eyes.
Finding the same respect and passion for food in himself that he saw on display in
Paris, Jonnatan knew he had chosen the right path. Since becoming executive chef at Jack Falstaff in 2005, his guests have enjoyed creative, modern American cuisine with Spanish influences. With his extensive product knowledge and his grandmother’s ever-present sense of fun, Jonnatan creates new twists on classic preparations that are surprising, memorable, and most of all, delicious. The multiple star reviews and accolades he has received inspire Jonnatan and push him further.
About his work at Jack Falstaff, Jonnatan says “we are doing something good, but we need to keep our standards and goals high to ensure excellence.” San Francisco diners rejoice.
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Namthip Paine
Place of birth: Bangkok, Thailand
Graduation: 2007, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Certificate in Le Cordon Bleu Pâtisserie and Baking
Current Position: Pastry Assistant, Cortez Restaurant and Bar, San Francisco, California
From an aspiring accountant in Thailand to a pastry assistant at Cortez Restaurant and Bar in San Francisco – for many this may seem an odd career path. However, for Namthip Paine, 2007 Baking and Pastry Arts graduate, the decision to pursue a career in the culinary industry was the logical choice.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting in Thailand, Namthip moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with her American husband and enrolled in the accounting program at the City College of San Francisco. After completing less than two
years of the program, Namthip and her husband decided to escape the corporate world and open a bed and breakfast in Bonaire, an island in the Netherlands Antilles. While enjoying the laid-back lifestyle of the Caribbean, Namthip discovered and nurtured a
growing interest in baking.
Upon returning to San Francisco, Namthip harnessed her new passion and enrolled in the California Culinary Academy’s (CCA) Baking and Pastry Arts Program, to help her turn her hobby into a successful career in the culinary industry. During her time at
California Culinary Academy (CCA), she worked closely with CCA’s Career Services to find a post-graduation job.
After graduating in 2007, Cortez Restaurant and Bar, a popular Theatre District destination specializing in modern European cuisine, recognized her talent and hired her as a pastry assistant. Since graduation, Namthip has been working at Cortez, honing
the skills she learned at California Culinary Academy (CCA), with the intention of becoming a pastry chef in the next three to five years.
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Chuy Valencia
Place of birth: Sonoma, California
Graduation: 1995, California Culinary Academy
Degree: Associate of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts
Current Position: Owner/Chef: Chilam Balam, Chicago, Illinois
Chef Chuy Valencia was born and raised in Sonoma, California. From a family of ranchers and farmers, his parents grew their own food in the backyard and always had a pot of something delicious simmering on the stove. Growing up, he spent his summers and holiday seasons in his parents' native Colima, Mexico on the family orchard. It was here that Chuy at the age of 8 decided he wanted be a chef for the rest of his life. Chuy’s love for ingredients, and the philosophy of "letting nature do the work" was inspired in part by his grandfather who grew fruits and vegetables and butchered his own meat. When Chef Chuy began working in California's renowned wine country as a cook, he started to see the similarities between his family's way of cooking and the California Cuisine movement.
Chef Chuy graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu program at California Culinary Academy and landed an externship at Frontera Grill and the Adobo Grill in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 23, Chuy started making a name for himself as chef and co-owner at Chilam Balam, a restaurant in Chicago’s fashionable Lakeview neighborhood. The restaurant follows his sustainable farm-to-table mantra, sourcing local produce and meat when possible, and stands out for well-prepared handmade Mexican food elevated to a high level. Chilam Balam has received rave reviews in the Chicago Tribune, ABC TV’s Hungry Hound, Time Out, Chicago, not only for its fresh food but also for its imaginative culinary creations from the mind and kitchen of Chef Chuy Valencia.
Follow Chef Chuy on Twitter @ChuyValencia. Visit Chilam Balam’s web site at www.chilambalamchicago.com. Read reviews of Chilam Balam from Chicago Tribune, ABC TV, Time Out, Chicago and more online at www.chilambalamchicago.com/chilam_balam_reviews.html
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