Local High School Grad Becomes Entrepreneur

Career Technical Education Classes Sparks Lifelong Passion

Monique Dawes-Jeffers, Pastry Chef

Monique is a lifelong High Desert resident that graduated from Silverado High School.

MONIQUE’S STORY

MONIQUE’S CTE CLASSES AND A PASSION INSTALLED IN HER BY HER FAMILY MOTIVATED her TO START HER OWN BUSINESS. OWNING HER OWN BUSINESS HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN EASY, BUT MONIQUE’S HARD WORK AND CREATIVITY HAS MADE HER JOURNEY SO REWARDING. MONIQUE’S STORY IS incredibly INSPIRING!

QUESTION: Monique, would you tell us about what you do and how you got to where you are today?

Monique: I am currently the co-owner of a small bakery called Sweets & Things and a catering business called Yummy Things. I can say cooking has always been a family passion that I attribute to my grandfather and mother. They have been teaching me how to bake and cook for as far back as I can remember. While in high school, I took Baking Occupations and Culinary Arts II. I learned so much from my CTE classes, not just about baking and cooking but also about the business side of things. When I became a senior, I competed in the first-ever local Chopped and Sweet Genius competitions, where my team and I took first place in both. I can honestly say that the Baking Occupations and Culinary classes opened my eyes and ultimately sparked my interest in all the possible opportunities that were out there for me. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to take those classes and for my teacher Mr. Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez will always be my mentor, and he continues to be my sounding board on so many things in my business.

High School Competition

After high school, I started working full-time for Disneyland where I got a lot of experience as a candy maker. I left Disneyland to put my passion to the test and focus on starting my own business with my sister. I am happy to say that it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made, as my sister and I have been running Sweets & Things successfully for five years. We also recently started our own catering business called Yummy Things. Our company has been blessed to be able to cater some fantastic events. The most recent catering job we did was for The Los Angeles Film School.

QUESTION: What do you love most about a career in Culinary?

Monique: There are so many aspects of my job that I love, but the ability to create and be artistic is what I would say I love the most. I have always been a people person, so having the ability to work with my customers, take their visions, and bring it to life is so rewarding. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when one of my customers see their cake for the first time and their eyes light up. Or when I cater an event, and I get to see how happy people are with our food. In this industry, you know you have done an excellent job when your customers return because they are pleased with what you have done for them. Bringing joy to people through my creations is the ultimate gift.

QUESTION: How do you like owning your own business?

Monique: Honestly, I have worked in other people's kitchens, and to have the opportunity to run your kitchen, how you want to, is incredible. Having the freedom to be creative and make decisions is one of the best things about owning your own business. Owning your own business is not always easy; it takes a lot of work and effort and comes with some sleepless nights. We have to work hard to grow our customer base, build relationships with people in our community, and think outside the box creatively with our products and our business. There is never a dull moment when it comes to being a business owner. You also must be able to roll with things. We have all heard the saying, "the customer is always right," and it has never been more accurate than in this business. We rely heavily on happy customers and good reviews. We cannot take things personally as business owners because our job is to bring our customers visions to life. Another aspect of owning your own business is being able to continually reinvent your business. We have recently had to test ourselves while learning how to navigate through the COVID pandemic. We have had to be extremely creative and seek out new and different business opportunities in an effort to keep our business alive.

QUESTION: Do you have any on the job stories that you would like to share?

Monique: I will never forget when I made my first wedding cake for a customer. I have always loved everything about making cakes from start to finish, but for some reason, the stress and pressure of it being my first wedding cake overwhelmed me. I remember wanting to cry, nothing was going right that day, and all I could think of was a crying bride on her most special day. I had made many cakes and never felt this much pressure before. I wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect for her. I remember sitting there with my hands on my face, feeling sorry for myself. After a long period of frustration, I pulled myself together and told myself this cake is not going to make itself. I spent three times longer on that cake than ever before. After all was said and done, the look on the bride's face was priceless. One of my favorite things now is to be a part of someone’s special day and help make all their cake dreams come to life.

QUESTION: What classes would you recommend for students interested in starting a bakery or catering business?

Monique: I would tell students to take as many Culinary Arts classes as they can. It would also be beneficial to look into some business and accounting classes if they could. When I was in high school, I learned so much from my four years in ASB Leadership. I learned how to put on large events, decorating tips, organizing and planning student activities, cash handling skills, time management, and overall leadership skills, which are all things that help me today in my own business. I think it would be beneficial for students to get involved in their school by joining a club or some type of student leadership because it allows you to learn so many different skills that transition into the real world.

Question: Do you have any advice for high school students wondering what they should do after graduation? 

Monique: I was one of those kids that could not go to college right after high school but I knew what made me happy, so I found a way to make a living doing it. I am a firm believer in the fact that everyone has a superpower. I would tell students to go out and find their superpower! Take as many different classes as you can, volunteer with various organizations, go out and network until you find what you are genuinely passionate about. Once you find your passion, find a way to make a living at it. If you do what you are most passionate about, it really never feels like work.

THANK YOU, MONIQUE! YOUR PASSION FOR YOUR CRAFT IS GENUINELY YOUR SUPERPOWER, WHICH IS SO INSPIRING. WE ARE SO PROUD OF ALL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND WHAT YOU BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY.

by Jessica Swift

Now We're Cookin': Meet Chef-in-Training, Ebert Cabrera

---

“This is my advice to people: Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun”

— Julia Child

---

I recently met Ebert Cabrera - a sharp and motivated young man with a knack for all things culinary who is not going to let being deaf get in the way of his dreams.

Ebert, I’m glad to meet you and have the opportunity to capture some of your interesting story.  You’re just wrapping up your Junior year at Apple Valley High School. Which CTE program were you involved in this year?

I am in the baking class.  I took cooking before this class, but this year I’m in baking.  I’ll be in Baking 2 next year.

What motivated you to pick culinary arts as a topic of study?

I want to be a professional chef someday.  I knew that this class was going to help me do that.  

What kind of chef do you want to be?  Is there a particular place or cuisine that interests you?

Right now, I’m interested in everything - all types of foods.  I still need to figure that out - to explore my options and what’s out there.  

What are the most significant skills or learnings you acquired through this program?

Technical kitchen vocabulary, number one.  Also, I learned names and uses of various tools and forms of cutlery.  I learned about the types of meat, how to determine freshness of ingredients and when ingredients need to be disposed of, how to properly store product, and all about food temperatures.  

Have you used these skills in your daily life?

I am cooking more at home.  I learned a lot about cooking from my grandmother when I was younger.  She’s a fine cook with a lot of great cultural recipes. Now that I know more, I can better understand and refine the details and the topic has become much more interesting to me.

Is there anything you’d change about your experience in the culinary pathway if you were to go back and do it again?

(Ebert pauses to think and consider) I actually wouldn’t change anything. If I could, I’d take this again and again.  

I understand you competed in Skills USA this year.  How was that experience?

Working on his dough, Ebert digs deep and relies on the skills he practiced to complete his dishes. While the kitchen was hectic that day, Ebert managed to keep his cool to finish and finish well.

This was my first time competing in something like this.  Mrs. Celie asked if I was interested in competing and I agreed to give it a try.  Before the regional competition in January, I practiced a lot. I knew I had to make pumpkin bread, a lattice pie crust, sugar cookies and a pie shell within a certain time limit.  I kept practicing until I felt confident I could pull it all off within the allowed timeframe. When I went to the regional competition in San Bernardino, we put on our culinary uniforms, reviewed the rules, about cooking area boundaries, and what would result in point deductions.  It was a stressful event - at one point all of the ovens were full and I had to wait, the individual in the station next to invaded my workspace with his stuff, and an oven I was using was turned off by another student. Yet, I was able to get everything done and was awarded first place.  Because I got first, I competed in the state competition in April. At the state competition in Ontario, I had to bake pumpkin bread and decorate a cake according to specific requirements then bake an apple pie with lattice crust and apple turnover as well as make a pie shell. I was worried that I wouldn’t complete the items in time but managed to pull it off.  In fact, I even had enough time to clean my station before time ran out.

That seems like a lot to pull off.  Did you have to make these item simultaneously or one at a time?  

Items had to be made at the same time.  For example, the pie took 30 minutes to bake, so once that was in, I had to focus on something else.  My time management skills have been refined through this and that certainly helped.

What’s the best part of the culinary CTE program?

Getting to learn about and make different things.  I’m already looking forward to coming back next year to take the 2nd baking class and decorating more cakes.  

Have you had any challenges you’ve had to overcome through all of this?

There was a small communication challenge at first, but it wasn’t a big deal.  I’ve had a great time here in this program so far. I’ve learned a lot, my teacher, Mrs. Celie, has been very supportive and helpful, and I look forward to learning more with her next year.

Lovin' from the Oven: Itzel Gonzales and her Award-Winning Muffins

---

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Itzel Gonzalez, an energetic, well-spoken, passionate young woman happy to share her story and her culinary experience with me during her last week before summer break.

Itzel, it’s such a pleasure meeting you.  I understand you are a junior at Apple Valley High School.  Can you tell me which CTE program you are in?

Yes.  I am in the culinary cooking class.

What motivated you to jump into the culinary arts programs at AVHS?

Well, I really like to bake and cook.  I have baked with my mom and dad for a long time and really enjoy working together in the kitchen.  And I’ve always enjoyed making blueberry muffins, which are my dad’s favorite. I like to keep trying to get better and better and this class has helped me do that.  

I get to work with your mom, Belen Colon, quite a bit.  Would you say that you’re a better cook than her now that you’ve been through this class.

(Enthusiastic nod after a glance across the room at her mother)  Yes, I think so.

I thought you might be.  We won’t tell her. So besides culinary skills, what have you gotten out of this experience?

I had a mock interview recently with the idea of opening my own bakery.  The interview went really well because of this class. I like culinary studies.  I own it and my family is all really happy for me.

Competing in Skills USA was a blast for Itzel and something she plans on doing again next year.

How have you applied what you’ve learned in CTE to your daily life?

My skills in the kitchen have gotten better and my dad wants to teach me more.  He teaches me about steak, lobster, everything. He helps me cook at home and to keep learning and practicing.

Where do you hope this leads?  What’s the dream?

I would like to be a baker for my whole family.  I have family in Texas and in Boston. I would like to share my food with them.  I make really good cookies and muffins.

I bet you do.  This interview is giving me a sweet tooth.  So I hear you did pretty well at a competition earlier this year.  Can you tell me about that?

I competed in Skills USA and demonstrated how to make Blueberry Muffins to a panel of judges.  I wasn’t really nervous - I owned my food, was brave, and looked at the judges when it was my turn.  I want to do it again! I took 1st place at the regional competition in January and then took 2nd at state in April.

What’s the best part of your CTE program?

I get to learn about cooking and I get to keep practicing.  I’m able to show my family and I know they are proud of me. I will be taking more culinary classes next year.

What’s next for you after high school?

I really want to work in a daycare for babies.  I know that I could bake for the daycare and I would enjoy helping the little kids.  

And what’s next for you after this week?  I bet you’re looking forward to summer break.

I am.  We are going to travel and have a family reunion.  I hope to bake for everyone and will have fun seeing everybody.  

What do you think you’ll make for them?

Maybe some blueberry muffins.