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Culinary Arts student Rachel Drees pays homage to late grandmother through cooking

By Chris Caldwell 

Rachel Drees finds joy in cooking and baking for friends and family. That joyous passion is what landed her at Southwest, excited and ready to pursue an associate degree in hospitality management with a concentration in culinary arts. “Each day I get up is for my grandmother. She was the baker in the family and when her health started to decline, I stepped up and started baking for her, especially during the holidays,” Drees said. “I knew in high school that I wanted to go to college for culinary arts, so me and my parents started searching for programs that were offered and Southwest was truly the best choice for me.” Drees said Southwest’s financial aid assistance through the Tennessee Promise scholarship played a major part in choosing the college. Drees’ comfort in the kitchen is natural. She says baking for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and even creating her brother’s wedding cake, was, literally a piece of cake for her. “The more cakes I made, the more I realized how much I loved how baking incorporated a lot of artistic skills,” she said. Southwest has become a beacon for Drees and her creativity in the classroom. She said the different dishes she has created through the guidance of Southwest’s culinary and hospitality management instructor Chef Steven Leake, has given her the hands-on experience and culinary skills she needs to succeed. “Chef Leake has been great in instructing his students in a wide variety of culinary expertise,” Drees said. “He provides me with great feedback and the best part about it all, is that we are having fun in the classroom while we learn.” Drees will graduate in Spring 2023. She plans to transition from working at Tacos4Life to working at a bakery or cakeshop. In the meantime, you can find her in her family’s kitchen keeping her grandmother’s legacy alive. For more information about Southwest’s Culinary Arts Program, click here.
Culinary Arts student Rachel Drees

Rachel Drees finds joy in cooking and baking for friends and family. That joyous passion is what landed her at Southwest, excited and ready to pursue an associate degree in hospitality management with a concentration in culinary arts. 

“Each day I get up is for my grandmother. She was the baker in the family and when her health started to decline, I stepped up and started baking for her, especially during the holidays,” Drees said. “I knew in high school that I wanted to go to college for culinary arts, so me and my parents started searching for programs that were offered and Southwest was truly the best choice for me.” Drees said Southwest’s financial aid assistance through the Tennessee Promise scholarship played a major part in choosing the college.  

Drees’ comfort in the kitchen is natural. She says baking for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and even creating her brother’s wedding cake, was, literally a piece of cake for her. “The more cakes I made, the more I realized how much I loved how baking incorporated a lot of artistic skills,” she said. 

Southwest has become a beacon for Drees and her creativity in the classroom. She said the different dishes she has created through the guidance of Southwest’s culinary and hospitality management instructor Chef Steven Leake, has given her the hands-on experience and culinary skills she needs to succeed. 

“Chef Leake has been great in instructing his students in a wide variety of culinary expertise,” Drees said. “He provides me with great feedback and the best part about it all, is that we are having fun in the classroom while we learn.” 

Drees will graduate in Spring 2023. She plans to transition from working at Tacos4Life to working at a bakery or cakeshop.  

In the meantime, you can find her in her family’s kitchen keeping her grandmother’s legacy alive.

For more information about Southwest’s Culinary Arts Program, click here.