2025 Recipients

Monique Cortes

Monique is a student of Diablo Valley College where she is perfecting her culinary techniques in its Baking and Pastry program. After forced severance ended her employment with AT&T, this single mother decided to pursue her true love- baking cupcakes! Monique’s professional goal is to combine her passion for baking with entrepreneurship and open her own dessert food truck where she can create and serve high-quality, unique desserts to a wide audience.

Sonam Samtani

Sonam is pursuing her Master’s in Food Business at the CIA in Hyde Park. To support her education, Sonam works on the pastry team at Atomic Workshop, which prepares the desserts for its restaurants: State Bird Provisions, The Progress & The Anchovy Bar. Sonam’s professional goal is to be the head pastry chef of a restaurant that makes delicious food or start a food establishment of her own. However, what would mean the most to her would be cooking for people while using her establishment as a vehicle for change. Specifically, she aspires to create a food business that is both sustainable for the environment and the community.

2024 Recipients

Natasha House

Natasha is a student at City College of San Francisco’s Culinary program and simultaneously runs her own successful personal chef business. After earning her B.S. degree in Child Development and working in that field for a few years, Natasha discovered that her true interest was cooking for the children and teaching them about food and how to cook. When Natasha learned about the culinary program at City College, was compelled to leave that industry pursue her “dreams in food.”

Ruby Pokras

Ruby is a student at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and recalls how as a young child, when asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" she enthusiastically answered that she wanted to work in the culinary world. Ruby is an active volunteer for a variety of Napa Valley food and wine events and started working at Auberge du Soleil this spring.

2023 Recipients

Alma Moon

Alma hopes to revolutionize gluten free baking by opening her own 100% Gluten Free and allergy friendly bakery, Sweet Almond Moon, which will be focused on making nutritionally balanced baked goods. She is looking to be mentored by a woman who has owned her own bakery or has experience running a farmer’s market.

Ashton Rodenbug

Ashton has dreamed of opening a restaurant since she was a child and now hopes to open an Eastern Mediterranean-inspired farm-to-table restaurant. In addition to having incredible food, she wants to prioritize excellent pairings of non-alcoholic beverages in addition to a perfectly crafted beer and wine list

2022 Recipients

Diana Zaldivar
Diana graduated from the Laney College Baking & Pastry program this past May. In fall, she will start the Culinary Arts Restaurant Management program. Diana has worked at local bakeries and chocolateries. This summer she toured Mexico, where she visited artisanal chocolate makers, bakers, and cooks to learn the traditional and venerated production techniques. Her goal is to be a master pastry chef and chocolatier.

Silvana Marincola
Silvana is a student in the Laney College Culinary Arts Restaurant Management program. She formerly owned and operated her own bakery and restaurant in Olinda, Brazil. Silvana’s goal is to complete her education and establish a similar establishment here in the Bay Area.

Savannah Bundy
Savannah is currently enrolled in the Laney College Baking & Pastry program. During her studies, she has become increasingly interested in the relationship between food and health. Savannah’s goal is to graduate with two Associates of Science degrees and transfer to a 4-year college to pursue her bachelor’s degree.

Jasmine Dillard
Jasmine has been enrolled in the Treasure Island Job Corps Culinary Academy for the past two years. Her goal is to become a highly renown chef. Jasmine would like to be someone memorable like Gordon Ramsey.

Kannanuth Lert-ariyaphokhin
Kannanuth is a student in the City College of San Francisco Culinary Arts Management and Food Service Management programs. She has interned at Greens Restaurant. Kannanuth’s goal is to be the Chef/Owner of her own catering business.

2019 Recipient

Bee Marrone
Bee cooked her first recipe at the age of six: spicy yellow curry. Life after was quite simply never the same. Eschewing the traditional path laid before her, Bee moved from Thailand to England, opening an eclectic British café: English breakfast in the morning and Thai/Chinese fare at lunch. Ten years later, she moved to California. Always a community champion, Bee immediately began volunteering at her local church and feeding the homeless. Expert in Thai cuisine, Bee decided to expand her culinary repertoire and enrolled in the Laney College Restaurant Management Program. While working and volunteering full-time, Bee completed the program graduating at the top of her class. Bee’s goal is to be a chef at a high-end restaurant, working with a team that focuses on creative presentation, unique flavors, and “thematic catering.”

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