When Finney Clarkson (12) told his friends he would be leaving for cooking school instead of ELHS every morning, all he got were laughs.
No one believed him.
“You better bring food back to share,” they joked.
The quips continued — until he did just that.
Macaroni and cheese. Pulled pork. Cinnamon rolls.
After sharing the fruits of his labor, Clarkson knew that this was his passion.
“That’s when cooking really solidified into my identity,” Clarkson said.
His earliest skills came from an unexpected place: the COVID-19 lockdown.
“My parents wanted to incorporate a ‘life skills’ homeschool into my regular school curriculum,” Clarkson said. “My dad taught me Latin and engineering, and my mom taught me cooking skills every other Saturday. That’s where I learned to make pizza.”
For the Clarkson family, pizza is more than just a meal; it’s a family tradition.
“We have a game night on Saturdays, and we make pizzas to go along with that,” Clarkson said. “Two years ago we got a pizza oven for Christmas, and that made [the dish] even more meaningful.”
Cooking with his family stuck with Clarkson throughout his childhood and teenage years. Now, cooking is where he feels calm.
“I’m usually at peace when I cook,” Clarkson said. “I use it as a way to relax and take it easy while also doing something I enjoy.”
Clarkson isn’t alone in his passion for cooking. Across the WTC, more students are turning to the kitchen for a sense of calm. Together, their experiences demonstrate a growing culture of teen chefs.
“People should understand that teen chefs are still learning,” Clarkson said. “[The] WTC is a great place to learn, and it’s also a great place to get experiences you can’t get anywhere else.”
The culinary program at the WTC isn’t just a cooking class; it’s part of a statewide plan to explore career paths. For students, this means working in professional-grade kitchens and connecting with professional chefs. Student enrollment has increased over the years, and as enrollment continues, the range of students who join the program has expanded. Some arrive with years of experience, but most began with simple goals, similar to Clarkson.
“I wanted to know how to cook so I could take care of myself,” Clarkson said. “I didn’t want to be going out to eat every day once I go to college.”
WTC gives students access to peers from across the area, creating a community of young chefs who learn from one another.
“I have friends from other schools who I’d have no reason to meet otherwise,” Clarkson said.
Eventually, Clarkson realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing cooking, since it had become one of the most consistent parts of his life.
“I’m going to attend the Culinary Institute of Michigan next year,” Clarkson said. “After that, I’d like to get a Culinary Maritime Certification from Northern Michigan Community College.”
Even though Clarkson started with simple intentions, his experience with cooking has changed the way he sees food entirely.
“I can look at a cabinet with a bunch of ingredients in it and say what I can make,” Clarkson said. “Cooking has helped me realize that there are always snacks in the cabinet for people who know how to look right.”
