Ever since he was old enough to help his mother cook, senior Wyatt Bowen has had an interest in food.

“I have been cooking since I could reach the stove as a little kid. I used to help my mom make spaghetti,” Bowen said. “In ninth grade I started at Culinary Essentials and I have been in culinary classes ever since.”

Bowen is also the president of the Culinary Club.

“For Culinary Club we went to a three-day competition the first week back from Winter Break in January,” Bowen said. “First there was check-in, they had to check out that we transported all of our ingredients and materials. The next day we had an hour to cook a three-course meal. They were judging us on safety, sanitation, plating, appearance and taste. Overall, my team placed twelfth in the state. We did not win it but we all learned a lot.”

In addition to culinary arts, Bowen has also participated in sports, however, had to quit due to injuries.

“I used to play football and wrestle but recently I have had a few injuries and am not able to. Sophomore year I got a hairline fracture on my neck. I got three concussions all on top of each other and things just kept going bad and the doctor said I could not play anymore,” Bowen said. “After I could not play sports I was able to focus mostly on culinary arts and get decent grades.”

Next year, Bowen will be attending the Art Institute in Seattle for culinary arts.

“I am going to get my bachelor’s degree in culinary management,” Bowen said. “I hope to be an executive chef in a hotel somewhere.”