iWiSSi QUAN LL i AM

For Siquan William, cooking is synonymous with happiness, and that’s reason enough to be in the kitchen. Raised in Summerfield, the 15-year-old Belleview High School student will be a sophomore this year. The third of four children, Siquan has long associated happy times with the kitchen and food.

“My mom has always cooked a lot, and when I was younger, I got excited about that and tried to help her,” he recalls, adding that he loves his mom’s baked pork chops. With that inspiration, Siquan began cooking for his family because he saw it made them happy. The food-equals-good-times connection took hold at an early age.

And although he likes to cook, he likes baking even more. He enjoys working with yeast dough and makes his own pizza dough. However, cakes are his specialty. He’s made chocolate, strawberry and red velvet, but his vanilla cakes are hands-down the best.

“They’re like the ones you’d get at a bakery,” he admits modestly. And yes, he makes a mean buttercream frosting. Although many recipes call for margarine, Siquan says butter makes for a better frosting.

Speaking of recipes, you’ll often find Siquan online searching for new ones. He likes finding a recipe that sounds appealing and then making the dish with just enough of a change to call it his own.

“I like creating new recipes at home to see how they turn out,” he says.

Although he’s been cooking at home for years, Siquan first got interested in culinary pursuits at school in seventh grade. He’s been involved in the Academy of Culinary Arts at Belleview High School since his freshman year.

“Siquan has a passion for cooking, and he really enjoys the avocation. He would come to my class after he finished his work in other classes and play in the kitchen and work with others,” says Chef Darin E. Nine, director of culinary education.

“He is one of our ‘egg flippers’ in our Breakfast Class, which is open to BHS faculty, staff and to the public, as well, with a reservation. We serve our famous ‘Sammies,’ omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and the best cup of coffee in Marion County. He has honed his skills in making omelets, eggs over-easy, medium and hard. It sounds easy, but when you have 15 tickets running, you better be focused and alert. And because eggs cook quickly, he has to coordinate his eggs with the Sammie station and the pancake station, so all the food on the same ticket comes out at the same time.

“Siquan is very focused, and that lead me to ask him to be on my SkillsUSA Competition Baking Team,” adds Chef Nine. “He and his team won a bronze medal in entrepreneurship at the Florida SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Contest in Lakeland. They had a great business idea and really performed well as a team.”

“Chef Nine teaches us about more than just cooking,” says Siquan. “He taught us how to do a résumé and other things we’d need to know for business.”

Aside from time spent in the culinary program, Siquan tries to invest a few hours each week at home cooking and baking. When he’s not in the kitchen, you can find him involved in sports. Siquan runs track, competing at 100-. 200-, 400- and 800-meter distances.

None of his friends tease him about being a jock who likes to cook. Instead, they’re more than willing to sample the various things he makes. All of his friends and family are “super supportive” of his culinary interests, he adds.

Chef Jason Benavides, Jenna’s instructor in the Culinary Arts & Baking Academy. “So much so that I requested she be transferred into my advanced service class the first week of school. I’ve never regretted the decision. She is a hardworking, dedicated young lady who knows what she wants and will do whatever she has to in order to achieve it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her name on the list of top bakers in America in the future.”

“Food is one of the few things I’m really good at and have a talent for, but that could be because I’ve had a lot of practice,” says Jenna, who is known for her amazing cookies. When the culinary students send their cart around the school for students and staff to buy from, everyone looks for Jenna’s cookies.

“My favorite to make is probably snickerdoodles,” she says. “My grandmother did a lot of baking with me and my sister when we were little. She used to make these cookies for us, so the recipe is sentimental to me.” a big fan, especially when she’s making homemade ice cream.

Although Jenna likes to cook, she’s actually more of a baker. In addition to cookies, she loves making yeast breads and cinnamon rolls.

“My family has been extremely supportive since I’ve started at the Culinary Arts & Baking Academy,” says Jenna. “They’re always asking what I’m making and definitely think I can be successful at this.”

Many 17 year olds have only vague ideas about what they hope to do for a career, but not Jenna. She already has a plan.

“In the next 10 to 20 years, I would like to have my own café or bakery, probably on the West Coast somewhere,” she says. “But before I do that, I want to work my way up through different bakeries and businesses. I want to know about business before I own one!”

If every high school senior had that kind of maturity and eye for the future, our country would be in very good hands.