Culinary student whips up future

Roxana Treviño had options when it was time to decide a major. Ultimately, she was drawn to the world of cooking and culinary arts.

“I had two other majors in my mind, but it just was not for me,” Treviño said.

As a high school student, she passed by her school’s home economics classroom wishing she signed up for the elective. Her affinity for making dishes pushed her to continue perfecting her culinary skills outside of school.

After considering a move to San Antonio for a culinary program, Trevino said it was a South Texas College instructor who convinced her otherwise.

“STC is close to home. I was thinking about going to San Antonio for a program but Chef Ruben Lemus explained the program here to me and he seemed excited,” Treviño said. “He’s the one that actually convinced me.”

Treviño, who started making side dishes during family barbecues as a middle-schooler, is happy she’s able to learn the technical side of culinary arts in an educational setting.

The culinary arts department at STC offers two certificate programs and two associate degrees. Skilled culinary arts instructors guide students through the process of becoming an expert in the kitchen. Training begins at foundational skills and builds up to advance preparation techniques.

Treviño knows that a career in cooking could help her reach her goals.

“Everything for me is experience to get to that level that I really want, where I know this stuff like the back of my hand,” Treviño said. “After I experience things like traveling the world, working in hotels or on cruises, I want to open my own restaurant.”

Treviño takes STC courses like international cuisine and baking to become well-rounded and learn different styles and techniques.

“I get a little taste of everything but with people’s own type of twist because of their culture,” Treviño said about learning to make dishes from around the world.

With Thanksgiving coming up, Roxana’s family has been looking to her to see what she’ll put together for the food-centric day.

“They’ll say things like ‘I expect more from you.’ She said with a laugh. “But the chef is on break too.”

Her message to students pondering what to study in college is to follow your heart and interests.

“Just be passionate about what you like,” Treviño said. “It will be tough because these are competitive careers. But just be passionate, open-minded and just go for it.”