About our Graduates

In the Culinary Program at Sunflower, Noni “learned that I can try new things and not be afraid of the results.” She also learned how to speak louder in the kitchen, work efficiently, and how to use proper food safety skills. She learned cooking techniques, sauteing, roasting, and grilling. Noni’s favorite part of her time at Sunflower was working together with her classmates in the kitchen and learning new recipes, which they prepared together and packaged for orders. After graduation, Noni will seek work in a restaurant in order to grow her skills for new opportunities. She is interested in opening her own restaurant some day. “I love that this program has taken me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to explore a side of myself I had yet to discover.”

Angelisa had some cooking experience and enjoys cooking, so she decided to get further
training in Sunflower’s Culinary Program. She wanted to gain new and better knife skills. She especially liked chopping onions, but also was fond of portioning prepared food and sealing the packaged products. Angelisa is very interested in working at Chipotle.

Mikohl-Jay chose Sunflower Bakery, since it specializes in teaching students that require a smaller teaching environment. During the program, Mikohl-Jay developed a strong foundation in food safety, learning the proper ways to store food and the importance of preventing cross contamination. A highlight of Mikohl-Jay’s experience was learning new recipes. After graduation, he plans to pursue opportunities as a cook in a restaurant.

Nikita has always cooked at home quite often, and wanted to try the culinary field as a possible career path. In Sunflower’s Culinary Program, Nikita developed a repertoire of skills, including kitchen callbacks, food safety and sanitation, knife skills and other practical skills. Through hands-on experience in a professional kitchen environment, he grew in self-confidence and independence. He relished learning new recipes and techniques. Nikita will seek job opportunities in cooking after graduation.

Kristian applied to Sunflower’s Culinary Program, because he wanted to learn how to cook. Working with the chefs in the professional culinary kitchen, he learned new knife skills, how to saute, and how to julienne vegetables. In fact, his favorite part of the training was learning new skills throughout the course. After graduation, Kristian plans to explore opportunities to work as a cook in a restaurant.

Sunflower’s Culinary Program was recommended to Richard by his counselor from the Division of Rehabilitation Services. He had been doing some cooking at home and was interested in potentially entering the food industry. He hoped to gain the skills of a good employee, to be efficient and consistent. When asked what he appreciated about the Sunflower program, he said, “the main thing is that this program has taught me all the basics of being and working in a kitchen,…dicing, chopping, grilling, searing, baking.” After graduating, Richard is hoping to get a job in food prep, since he feels that would be a good match for him.

Katya chose the Culinary Program at Sunflower Bakery to learn new skills, be part of a community, and be able to get a job. In the professional kitchen environment, she learned culinary skills, “that will help me get a job so I can be independent.” Those skills included teamwork in the kitchen and a variety of practical skills, resulting in greater self-confidence. Katya has grown in both technical ability and workplace readiness. Katya valued meeting the people at Sunflower. After graduation, Katya plans to pursue opportunities in a part-time kitchen job, “that can get me started in the culinary world, where I can be useful…and help people.”

Vicu’s passion for creating things led him to training at Sunflower. During the COVID epidemic, he found himself cooking a lot more at home and really enjoying the process. At Sunflower Culinary, Vicu learned a lot about the technical side of cooking with a variety of dishes. He especially appreciated the chefs, “who are some of the most patient, kind-hearted and hard-working people.”

Michaela applied to Sunflower Bakery to gain job experience and culinary training. During the program, Michaela acquired many hands-on culinary skills, as well as how to navigate a professional kitchen setting . She developed confidence and independence, valuing the conversations and camaraderie among the others in the relaxed environment of the culinary kitchen.

DJ began at Sunflower Bakery with a desire to know how it would feel to work in a bakery shop. He learned how to use the Point of Sale system, “to read the room,” and to make coffee drinks. DJ particularly valued interacting with customers and taking orders. As a graduate, he plans to work in hospitality.

At Sunflower, Elijah met his goals of having an “overall experience of meeting people and learning job skills.” His Hospitality training helped him develop confidence, never giving up. After graduation, Elijah plans to pursue employment and is open to any options. “I’m just grateful to get an opportunity to work!”

During Lydia’s training in Sunflower’s Hospitality program, she developed significant barista skills; competently used the POS system, and provided appreciated customer service. A highlight of Lydia’s experience was learning how to make the different hot beverages. Lydia plans to seek employment in a bakery, cafe or bookstore moving forward.

Cameron had trained in the past in the Pastry Arts Program and wanted to build on his communication skills in the Hospitality Program. Indeed, Cameron improved his communication skills with others, while gaining confidence and working more independently. Cameron particularly enjoyed working with the point of sales system. Cameron has recently applied for a job as a banquet server.

Mateo was attracted to Sunflower’s Hospitality Program, since it provides the knowledge and skills for a wide range of jobs. While training, he developed a work ethic, incorporated teamwork, learned how to talk to customers, maintained organization, and packaged products. His favorite parts of his experience were having just one supervisor and preparing orders. Mateo is pursuing opportunities in retail and has identified a job of interest in Rockville.

Brittni joined Sunflower Bakery after hearing about it from a fellow church member and thought it would be a good program. During the program, Brittni developed a strong foundation in food safety by using gloves and washing hands. She also learned to ask for help when needed and always come prepared to work. A highlight of Brittni’s experience was meeting new people and working with staff members. After graduation, Brittni plans to pursue opportunities as Chick -fil-A or at a grocery store.

Nick decided to train at Sunflower, because he wanted more focused job preparation after briefly attending college. He also needed an environment “that would understand and support my special needs, while giving me skills to succeed at work.” Nick gained a variety of new skills, including packaging and processing orders, barista beverage-making, operating the POS system, and earning his Servsafe Food-handler’s certificate. All-the-while, he gained confidence and independence in our professional hospitality environment. His favorite experience at Sunflower was helping run the Bakeshop in Phase 2, using customer service skills learned in Phase 1. He hopes to be employed in a hospitality setting, such as a hotel/resort or educational setting like a museum, botanical garden or wild-life center.

Alaya joined Sunflower Bakery to learn new job skills. During the program, Alaya developed a strong foundation in customer service skills, upselling, teamwork skills, and usage of POS systems. A highlight of Alaya’s experience was selling baked goods and making coffee drinks for customers. After graduation, Alaya plans to pursue a job in Hospitality.

Remy wanted to learn about customer service when she started at Sunflower. She particularly wanted to improve her communication skills. Indeed, she learned to provide excellent customer service, gaining confidence along the way. She was able to use the POS system, handling cash successfully. Remy is a very kind person with a big smile, who thrived while meeting new people and helping them with their purchases.

Coming to Sunflower Bakery, Adam thought our Hospitality Program would help him learn customer service, since he believed he wanted to get a job in a movie theater or a performing arts center. During his training, Adam developed new skills in greeting customers, helping customers choose products, making coffee, using the POS system, packing bakery items, and cleaning. A particular delight for Adam was helping the bakers in the back on Fridays! As a result of his training, Adam is focusing in on a job as a buffet/event server.

Ben connected with Sunflower Bakery to learn new skills and get help finding a job. Indeed, Ben learned to package products, use the POS system, build customer service skills, operate the espresso machine, clean the restrooms and sitting area and work effectively as part of a team. Ben especially relished serving and connecting with customers. After graduation, Ben would like a job in a warehouse environment, handling inventory.

Bidhan joined Sunflower Bakery to to gain experience and try to get a job. During the program, Bidhan developed a strong foundation in being more independent learning how to use the POS system., building practical skills, confidence, and independence. Through hands-on experience and daily collaboration, Bidhan has grown in both technical ability and workplace readiness. A highlight of Bidhan’s experience was meeting new customers and talking to new people. After graduation, Bidhan is excited to get a job.

At Sunflower, Asher hoped to learn skills to get a ‘real” job. In fact, he applied concerted efforts, working as part of a team, learning to interact with customers, both in person and by phone. Gaining confidence, he developed leadership skills, appreciated feeling needed and being helpful. Through hands-on experience and daily collaboration, Asher has grown in both technical ability and workplace readiness. He looks forward to getting a job doing something he likes. “I can do more than people think I can do.”

When Dalen came to Sunflower Bakery for training, he wanted a skillset to be proud of. Sure enough, he gained knowledge and experience in using kitchen equipment properly and reading recipes. A highlight for Dalen was working with his kitchen mates. After graduation, he plans to pursue opportunities as a pastry chef.

Andrew always had enjoyed cooking and baking and always wanted to be a chef. He had participated in Sunflower’s Teen Baking Exposure Program while still in high school and came back for the Pastry Arts training, where he made bread, cookies, brownies, cakes and pies. He expressed how he felt about his training at Sunflower, “I was treated with dignity, caring and professionalism. The staff at Sunflower is amazing. I have learned so much that will help me…I am so happy and thankful to have been chosen for the Pastry Arts Program at Sunflower Bakery. It has changed my life.” Andrew would love to work in a bakery as a pastry chef or cake decorator, using his artistic talents.

Wanting to become a professional chef, Alexa was interested in learning more about working in a professional bakery when she started Sunflower’s Pastry Arts training. Working with our chef instructors, she developed so many skills that are required, including cracking eggs with one hand, using a hefty professional production immersion blender blender and operating a rotary oven. Throughout the process, she particularly enjoyed making many different kinds of pastries. Her success with the practical skills helped her gain the confidence and competence needed to succeed in a professional baking environment. Alexa currently is working at The Reister’s Daughter as a part-time baker.

At Sunflower Bakery, Tristan’s goal was to learn how to perform as a professional baker. While training, Tristan mastered cracking eggs with one hand and making pastries from scratch with pure ingredients. He gained an understanding of the importance of properly cleaning a production kitchen and obtained certification in ServSafe Food Handling. In addition to mastering practical skills, he gained confidence to work independently in a professional kitchen environment. A highlight of Tristan’s experience was making cake batter and buttercream icing, while also making new friends of colleagues. After graduation, Tristan plans to seek employment as a baker’s assistant, using the transferable skills he developed at Sunflower Bakery.

Trinity chose Sunflower Bakery to learn more about baking and gain experience in a professional kitchen. She acquired a strong skill base in frissage, scooping cooking dough, piping cupcake batter and frosting, using mixing methods, rolling pie crust, kneading bread dough, and more. Over time, she has become more confident and is so pleased to be more independent in her work. Trinity looks forward to working in food service, or perhaps in a bakery’s production kitchen.

Kaleb decided to train in Pastry Arts at Sunflower Bakery in order to gain knowledge and experience. Among the practical skills learned were cubing margarine, packing baked products and decorating. Kaleb’s favorite part was making a lot of different recipes. As a kind, helpful and friendly person, Kaleb hopes to work in a bakery or a supermarket bakery.

Abigail joined Sunflower Bakery because she loves baking and it was the best opportunity for her to have baking focused training. During the program, Abigail developed a strong foundation in how to follow recipe and how to handle food safely. A highlight of Abigail’s experience was decorating the cookies. After graduation, Abigail plans to pursue opportunities to be a baker.

Camille has always loved baking as a hobby, but had not considered it as a career. At a job fair, she spoke to someone from Sunflower Bakery and was encouraged to apply to the Pastry Arts program. Being accepted for training was “opening the door to my next phase in life.” Camille learned tips and techniques for baking efficiently. “More importantly, I developed so much strength and confidence. I learned how to speak up, how to recover from setbacks, and how to maintain a more positive attitude through stressful situations.” She grew and thrived in an environment where she felt the chefs were helpful and cared about her well-being and success. She would like to be a cake decorator, recipe tester, or even maybe write a cookbook!

Julia loves to bake and cook. She joined Sunflower’s Pastry Arts Program, because she decided to change careers. In the professional kitchen, she learned how to bake desserts and bread. Also, important to her, she learned how to create a safe, healthy baking environment. At Sunflower, her favorites were baking breads, cookies, cakes and cupcakes. She feels she is a very helpful and energetic worker and looks forward to working in a bakery after graduation.