Andy

Generously Supported By: Individual from the Sprouts community
Age, at time of Internship: 16
CT Intern: Summer 2023
Restaurant Host: DAYTRIP, Chef Finn Stern
Referred By: OUSD
Intern Story:

Andy began cooking at age 10 out of necessity. His mom often worked evening shifts, and Andy found himself making the same things for dinner over and over again: scrambled eggs, white rice, and sliced meat. Wanting to improve the quality and health of his meals, Andy began learning additional, more creative, dishes he could make at home for himself and his family. 

To further explore interesting dishes to make, Andy joined the Sprouts Chef Training program working at DAYTRIP under Chef Finn Stern. At the beginning of his internship, Andy worried he would ask too many questions, and felt nervous to work with folks he didn’t know well (yet!). Over time, Andy became more comfortable with his coworkers and his communication skills improved. Andy also grew stronger in his technical knife skills and can now efficiently prep vegetables. Andy especially liked that cooking gives him some time away from his phone, and he found being alone with his thoughts while working to be calming and peaceful. 

Outside of his internship, Andy enjoys spending time with his friends by playing multiplayer video games or visiting the local gym for a workout. Andy continues to cook for his mom and younger brother, with fried rice being his go-to meal. Andy plans to use the communication and work ethic skills he learned throughout his internship to help him go to college where he wants to major in business or a business-related field. We hope Andy’s kitchen meditations allowed him quality time to consider his direction going forward and know that whatever direction he chooses, his hard work and ability to learn quickly will take him far in life.