Culinary School Philadelphia: Wilma Stephenson's Students
Win $637,000 in Culinary School Scholarships
By the All Culinary Schools career research team—Your source for Culinary School news, trends and programs.
Attending Culinary School: Philadelphia Students Get a Head Start
If you're a high school student wanting to get a jumpstart on culinary school, Philadelphia teacher Wilma Stephenson has just the ticket.
According to reporter Jim Axelrod's recent CBS News story "Cooking Students Who Pan For Gold," Stephenson, who teaches at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, helps her students win hundreds of thousands of dollars in culinary school scholarships year after year. Last year, for example, her students won several cooking competitions, taking home more than $637,000 in prize money.
When it comes to attending culinary school, Philadelphia's inner city high school students may not seem like the most obvious candidates for success, but Stephenson's mixture of tough love and high expectations has transformed many of her students into college-bound future chefs.
Axelrod reports that Stephenson is both "the toughest dude in the halls," who "seems like she could scare a Parris Island drill sergeant," and "sweet and loving" teacher who helps students like Fatoumata Dembele, a recent immigrant from Africa, attend culinary school while "cooking at an upscale Manhattan restaurant called Riingo."
Stephenson has high expectations, but she is also full of high praise. She may criticize a student for not showing up in proper kitchen attire, or for skipping class one day only to return the next day with a black eye, but she's also the first to call attention to students' success, often loudly congratulating their efforts in front of their classmates.
Stephenson's success, and the success of her Philadelphia culinary school students, is so unusual that she and three of her students are the subject of the recently released documentary Pressure Cooker.
Students regard her as a hero.
Find a Cooking School Today—Getting Your Culinary Arts School Training is One Step Away!
Culinary Community News
Keep up with the latest culinary news, gossip and trends. Explore our recent posts on the Culinary Community News Board.
Read About Culinary Careers
- Catering Job – Read what a catering job is all about.
- Chef Job – Looking to start a chef career? Find out what it takes to succeed.
- Pastry Chef Job – Learn what to expect in a pastry chef job.
- Restaurant Management Job – Do you have what it takes to be a restaurant manager? Find out.