Rudy J. Mazzetti Culinary Arts Scholarship

My name is Isabel Ferreira, and I am a senior at Vacaville High School in Vacaville, California. My love for cooking and baking began when I was a little girl. I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen, standing on a chair just to reach the counter as she let me mix ingredients or stir the pot. Whenever I visited my grandma, we would spend hours baking sweets together, cookies, cakes, and pastries that filled her home with warmth and joy. Those simple moments became some of my most cherished memories and planted the seed for my passion. From a young age, I found happiness in seeing others enjoy something I made with my own hands. Outside of my family kitchen, I was constantly inspired by shows like Kids Baking Championship, Chopped, and The Great British Baking Show. Watching talented bakers create edible art fueled my imagination and determination to one day do the same. Even as a child, I told everyone I wanted to own my own bakery when I grew up, and that dream has never faded. At Vacaville High School, I joined our Culinary Arts program and quickly discovered that my childhood passion could also become my lifelong career. I completed the first-year class and am now enrolled in Advanced Culinary, where I am on track to complete the Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway in Culinary Arts. Through these classes, I earned and maintained my Food Handler’s certification and gained hands-on experience working in a professional-style kitchen. I’ve learned teamwork, time management, and precision, while also volunteering for school and community events where our class prepares and serves food. Each of these experiences has strengthened my confidence and commitment to pursuing a future in the culinary field. Recently, I decided to take my dream even further by starting my own small business, a bakery and floral shop called Bel’s Flour and Flowers. Through this venture, I’ve been able to combine my two passions: creating beautiful baked goods and arranging flowers that brighten people’s days. Every order gives me the opportunity to share a part of myself with others, whether it’s a custom cake for a celebration or a simple box of cupcakes to make someone smile. As much as I enjoy cooking, baking has always been what truly takes the frosting on the cake for me. It’s where I feel the most inspired, creative, and fulfilled. Rudy J. Mazzetti’s story deeply resonates with me because it represents everything I hope to achieve, working hard, treating others with kindness, and using my talents to uplift my community. His belief in honesty, quality, and family values mirrors the foundation I want to build my own career. Like Rudy, I want my work to make a positive difference. I hope to grow Bel’s Flour and Flowers into a welcoming place where everyone feels like family, a space filled with warmth, generosity, and delicious treats made with love. Receiving this scholarship would help me continue my education in the culinary arts and bring me one step closer to expanding my business and reaching more people. I want to honor Rudy’s legacy by living with the same passion and integrity he demonstrated throughout his life. My goal is to make others feel cared for through the food I create, just as Rudy did for his community. I believe that through baking, I can share joy, connection, and kindness, proving that even the smallest act, like a sweet treat, can make the world a better place.

Hi, my name is Tyler Small, and I am currently working toward my degree at Johnson and Wales University. I was born in Tracy, California, a hour from San Francisco, which is where I spent the majority of my early life. What initially drew me to the culinary arts was very simple, good food! I loved to eat as well watch my family eat the food I would make. I was lucky to find a high school near me that had a culinary program which allowed my love for cooking to grow. Unfortunately, my life was turned upside my sophomore year. My brother, my rock and the person I looked up to the most, took his own life. For 3 months I wasn’t able to find the energy or motivation to do school work or go to class. I fell into a hole of laziness and depression which I thought I wouldn’t be able to escape from. I had teachers and counselors advise me to take a gap year because they didn’t think I could recover. However with support from my closet friends and family, I found a new purpose that pushed me to work as hard as I could to pass my classes and graduate on time. My brother was my biggest supporter, always pushing me to work harder and to follow my dreams of becoming a chef. I decided that I would work not just for myself anymore, but for him as well. I threw myself into my studies managing to pull grades from all Fs to As and Bs in the span of a semester. With that memory of his supper burned into my mind I succeeded in graduating on time and getting accepted into one of the most well known culinary schools in the US. I haven’t just focused on school either. I’ve made sure to volunteer whenever possible to help bring a positive impact to my community like making thanksgiving meals for the homeless and less fortunate and volunteering at my local food bank and soup kitchens. Where ever I go, I keep my brother’s memory alive by sharing his story so that people won’t have to go through the pain and hardship I went through. It is my dream to become the chef my brother wanted me to become, to help heal the world through good food, and then go onto support the next generation of chefs and bakers. I want to go out into the world and absorb as much as can so that I can return to where I started and pass my passion and love for cooking to those who come after me.