Kelly

Generously Supported By: Individual donor from Sprouts community
Age, at time of Internship: 18
CT Intern: Summer 2023
Restaurant Host: Californios, Chef Val M. Cantú and Pastry Chef Sophie Hau
Referred By: New Door Ventures
Intern Story:

Kelly began her internship with Sprouts Chef Training with the goal of learning how to cook more than microwave ramen. Ever since Kelly had seen Gordon Ramsay coaching kitchen staff on television, she had wanted to learn more about the culinary world. However, when it came to her internship, Kelly was nervous about the prospect of meeting new people and working in an, initially, unfamiliar kitchen. She was placed at Californios under mentors Chef Val and Chef Sophie.

The supportive team at Californios helped Kelly feel at ease quickly. She grew confident in speaking up and asking questions and became much more comfortable with her technical skills such as using a knife to make quick and even cuts. Kelly especially liked the feeling of being part of a team, like when the whole staff worked together to clean the kitchen. Because of the communal nature of kitchen work, Kelly’s professional communication skills naturally grew. Kelly additionally strengthened her organizational skills while learning how to properly label and put away various ingredients. 

Kelly values her internship for building her professional and personal skills (and she also wants to take home Chef Sophie’s shortbread recipe!). Going forward, Kelly is interested in continuing her education by studying physics and STEM topics. In her free time, Kelly enjoys reading classic literature such as Animal Farm by George Orwell, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. She also likes taking her dog, May May, to the dog park. Kelly knows the skills she gained during her internship will serve her well in the future.