“God, give me the strength, wisdom, and patience to influence a student in a positive way.”

Chef Somers’ Culinary Education career began in the 1980s, after years of running and owning restaurants and catering companies throughout New York. He worked CGS Contemporary Guidance Services on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where the students were largely affected by social, emotional and physical challenges. Adopting a holistic approach to the culinary program (and ultimately influencing his entire teaching philosophy), Chef Somers’ graduates saw a 70% maintained employment rate.

After a move South in the 1990s, Chef Somers began teaching a culinary program at Johnston County Correctional Facility in Smithfield, NC. The program introduced inmates to a career path outside of prison, resulting in a low prison return rate. Chef Somers won Johnston Community College’s Teacher of the Year award in 1997, and his program, “A Recipe for Changing Lives,” earned local and national accolades, including a feature on CBS News’ “Extra,” a News & Observer feature which re-ran in the Washington Post, among others. 

In 2000, Chef Somers took on a new challenge: high school. Joining the inaugural class of teachers at Lakeview Alternative School in Durham, NC, Somers once again brought his holistic culinary teaching to students with an array of issues that removed them from traditional public high schools. This program incorporated community job placement, in the culinary field or otherwise, and involved AmeriCorps and JobCorps in finding homes in safe environments for those who needed them. Somers was named 2002 Teacher of the Year for Lakeview High School for once again utilizing his holistic approach to the classroom setting.

Chef Somers brought his program and skils to Northern High School of Durham, NC in 2005. Using the existing infrastructure (a bare-bones, minimally-utilized culinary lab enrolling a small number of students annually), Chef Somers built the NHS Culinary program to over 250 eager students and a county-recognized culinary and catering resource. From running a successful morning bakery to cooking for school events and catering weddings, this program teaches every aspect of a culinary career in real-world settings. With a 90% passing rate, many of the program’s graduates have gone on to pursue careers in an array of food and culinary settings.  

In 2018, I was concerned that the teaching challenge for me was waning. The offer to bring a third Culinary Program across town to Jordan HS. became an exciting adventure. At present, I’m working on the transformation of the old home economics class into a professional kitchen. 2018 -2019 was my first year at my new school. It was educational, exciting, and rewarding. Without a doubt challenging. Every school even within the same district has a unique culture, needs, and concerns.

At Jordan I’m addressing two distinct groups of students. The Collegebound, most schools believe the only way to success in college is AP classes. But the Honor students need more, to balance their lives. From my experience, those who completed and earned a College degree had to work sometime during the 4 years. I’m trying to get them prepared with work experience. In and out of the classroom.

The second challenge is the influx of immigrant children. Most are newly arrived and speak very little or no English. Some can’t read in their own language.  To teach them how to work, function in our society, this is a daunting task. I love it. I’m teaching American exceptionalism along with Culinary Arts. Only here in the US. a person can start with nothing and with hard work become whatever they dream of becoming. You have just met the Chef, So ends the lesson.

Chef Truesdale is a Culinary Arts instructor at Jordan High School with 8 years of teaching experience. A graduate of Wake Tech Community College with a major in Baking and Pastry Arts, Chef T, also holds a B.A. in Food Science with a concentration in Dietetics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Passionate about the transformative power of food, Truesdale believes that food is medicine and central to our lives.