By Tiffany Young

I always mention my mom Chef Bren Young in my posts. She is a culinary arts instructor at Northeast Texas Community College in Pittsburg, Texas.

Last week, I finally got to see her at work and in action! She invited me to the school’s Friends and Family Night, where the students show off what they learned and then the ones graduating or getting their certificates get recognized in front of everyone.

Mom wanted to make sure I saw the behind the scenes, so she asked me to come a couple hours early. I’ll say the students must have been trained well, since there wasn’t a ton of running around left to the very end. Everything went off without a hitch and the desserts and food all tasted great!

My favorite things were the risotto balls and white chocolate bread pudding. However, the churros and the tiramisu were also great!

The sliders looked delicious, but unfortunately I don’t eat them. I felt really bad telling the students no to anything without meat since they don’t all know I’m pescetarian.

It’s inspiring to see my mom at a job that she loves, knowing that she went back for her culinary degree well into her 50s, when most people give up on trying new things, especially new careers. I know that the students respect her and they’re lucky to have such a great instructor. Her coworkers Chef Kat and Chef Reeves seem great to work with and I know they make a great team!

If you ever get the chance to go to one of their buffets, do! Or if you know of anyone in the Northeast Texas area interested in culinary arts, send them to www.ntcc.edu. They’ll learn a lot and have a great chance at an even greater career!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

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