#CYPossible: Johnathan Benvenuti, Culinary Arts
Completing coursework calls for celebration, and we are proud to celebrate with Cypress College’s newest degree- and certificate-holders. By achieving these education goals, graduates and certificate-earners are equipped to continue on their college path or find strong footholds in the career fields they’ve chosen. We’ve taken the journey with these outstanding students, and know that when they look to the horizon, they see what is #CYPossible.
Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What are your interests? What is your story?
I grew up in Huntington Beach, California. Food was everything to my family, and my first memories are cooking with my mother. After finding my passion for cooking, I competed in a knife skills competition that was hosted by Cypress College and judged by Chef Jeremy Peters. After winning and speaking with Jeremy, I enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at Cypress. From there, the rest is history. I went on to work in New York, some of the best kitchens in Orange County, and eventually “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Why did you choose to attend Cypress College and how did being a student here help you find your first position after completion?
Cypress was a no-brainer after I had won the knife skills competition. Chef Jeremy is one of my greatest mentors. He always challenged me and pushed me to become the chef I am today. The small classes and intimate program rivals any big-time culinary program. My time at Cypress is something I will always hold close to my heart.
What were you involved in at Cypress College? How did your path unfold and who were the faculty and staff who have helped you along that path?
Other than Culinary Arts, I’m not sure I know any other teachers on campus. Jeremy Peters, Stephanie Rosati, and Lisa Clark have been some of my greatest mentors. I still tell their stories to my employees now. They saw something in me that I did and they pushed me to be the chef I am today.
What did you pursue after completing your studies at Cypress College (at your transfer institution, in the workforce, etc.) and where are you now?
I wanted to go work for the best chefs possible. I ended up becoming sous chef for Amar Santana and from there, competed on “Hell’s Kitchen.” To stand next to Gordon Ramsay as a Cypress alumni was one of my proudest moments. Now I am opening my first restaurant in Long Beach, Bar Becky.
What are your long-term goals? What do you aspire to?
My goal was always to own my own restaurant. Now that it has become reality, I think my goal is to just make an impact on young chefs the same way that my chefs did for me. I would love to also one day become a teacher for Culinary Arts.
What are you most passionate about? Why?
My favorite part about this industry is being able to teach and mentor my team. It’s important to keep the next generation inspired and continue to push them the way my chefs pushed me, and inspire the next generation of chefs.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of my time on “Hell’s Kitchen” and representing Orange County the way I did. And now to open my own restaurant just feels surreal sometimes.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
If I could go back and change anything, I wouldn’t change a thing. I am so proud of my journey and where I am. I don’t live with any regrets and everything happens for a reason. I’m so proud of my journey and where I am now. There is not one thing I would change. I will just continue to push myself to new levels I didn’t even know where possible.
What one bit of advice would you give to current and future Cypress College students?
Don’t ever stop pushing. You get what you give. Give it everything you have. You have no idea what you can get when you give it your all. Stay humble. Stay busy. Work hard. Read cookbooks. Taste food. Go enjoy your local restaurants and bars. Get to know the people behind the food. Never stop learning.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you to Cypress for always supporting your students and allowing them to have the successful lives we have. I am so proud to have been a student here, and the values of Cypress College are always with me.