The moment I realized food was my passion was at the age of 8 when I found food as a resource for happiness. I grew up with an incarcerated father, raised by my mother and grandmother and later in life I was blessed with a fantastic stepfather; I didn’t learn what it was like to be a man by myself. I had a village of family and friends that helped raise me and male role models to teach me about becoming a man. Growing up I went through a large period of depression, and I didn’t think I had much going for me, I had to find a way to stay happy. So I started cooking simple homemade meals for my family, and they loved them and that brought me true happiness. My fried chicken is amazing! those loving compliments and making others smile through food, made me feel great. So, I worked hard on my cooking skills: looking up recipes, and following different culinary techniques, my village was also diverse in culture, and we all loved food. I had Southern, Asian, Hispanic, Puerto Rican and Italian influences growing up. I practiced my cooking skills and got better and better. Now I love creating my own dishes, experimenting with different spices, and improving on all aspects of the culinary industry including baking. The kitchen is where I find myself at peace and I knew that is what I wanted to do and make that my career. My high school has prepared me a lot for the culinary industry. I am enrolled in a culinary arts program, I'm the president of our SkillsUSA club, and I participate in every catering event that my school/club holds. At the end of my junior year in high school, I was offered a job at a wonderful 5-star restaurant called Chez Bacchus. This was the point where I realized my passion and talent to be a Chef. In this restaurant, I learned the business in and out. Spent some time in the dish pit and eventually found my way to the kitchen prepping food for the night. My chef took me under his wing and taught me an abundance of techniques, from cooking with wine, poaching and searing, making sauces, seasoning, and even knife skills. This is when I made the final decision to dedicate my life to the kitchen. Cooking has been my passion since I was 8, it's gotten me through depression, and it's truly my God-given gift. I believe a Culinary Arts degree will give me the guidance and direction I need to accomplish my dream and reach my long-term goals in the culinary industry. In the future, I would like to serve my community by putting on pop-up restaurants for the homeless. I want to give them a taste of fine dining, serve them dishes I’ve created and introduce them to fine cuisine. Give them a sense of community and let them know they matter. I am now dedicated to mastering my craft and becoming one of the best in this industry. I am so excited to start this journey and I am determined to make my family proud. This scholarship would help me see my dream come true, I plan to become a very successful Chef and your scholarship will allow me to focus on my studies and remove the financial responsibility from my Mom and Stepdad. I would be honored to be the recipient of this award. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best Regards, Anthony J. Longmire

The moment I realized food was my passion was at the age of 8 when I found food as a resource for happiness. I grew up with an incarcerated father, raised by my mother and grandmother and later in life I was blessed with a fantastic stepfather; I didn’t learn what it was like to be a man by myself. I had a village of family and friends that helped raise me and male role models to teach me about becoming a man. Growing up I went through a large period of depression, and I didn’t think I had much going for me, I had to find a way to stay happy. I started cooking homemade burgers and fries for my family, they would compliment me on my dishes and that would bring me happiness. Those loving compliments and making others smile through food, made me feel great. So, I worked hard on my cooking skills: looking up recipes, and following different culinary techniques, my village was also diverse in culture, and we all loved food. I had Southern, Asian, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and Italian influences growing up. I practiced my cooking skills and got better and better. Now I love creating my own dishes, experimenting with different spices, and improving on all aspects of the culinary industry including baking. The kitchen is where I find myself at peace and I knew that is what I wanted to do and make that my career. My high school has prepared me a lot for the culinary industry. I am enrolled in a culinary arts program, I'm the president of our SkillsUSA club, and I participate in every catering event that my school/club holds. At the end of my junior year in high school, I was offered a job at a wonderful 5-star restaurant called Chez Bacchus. This was the point where I realized my passion and talent to be a Chef. In this restaurant, I learned the business in and out. Spent some time in the dish pit and eventually found my way to the kitchen prepping food for the night. My chef took me under his wing and taught me an abundance of techniques, from cooking with wine, poaching and searing, making sauces, seasoning, and even knife skills. This is when I made the final decision to dedicate my life to the kitchen. Cooking has been my passion since I was 8, it's gotten me through depression, and it's truly my God-given gift. I believe a Culinary Arts degree will give me the guidance and direction I need to accomplish my dream and reach my long-term goals in the culinary industry. In the future, I would like to serve my community by putting on pop-up restaurants for the homeless. I want to give them a taste of fine dining, serve them dishes I’ve created and introduce them to fine cuisine. Give them a sense of community and let them know they matter. I am now dedicated to mastering my craft and becoming one of the best in this industry. I am so excited to start this journey and I am determined to make my family proud. This scholarship would help me see my dream come true, I plan to become a very successful Chef and your scholarship will allow me to focus on my studies and remove the financial responsibility from my Mom and Stepdad. I would be honored to be the recipient of this award. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best Regards, Anthony J. Longmire

My Name is Anthony Longmire I was 8 years old the second time when my father was incarcerated. My mom did her best to explain what happened, but it didn’t kick in until I got older. When I did get older, I had the normal questions of what happened, why he did what he did and why did he do this knowing that he had a son to take care of. I was angry and suffered from depression at times to the point I needed to see a therapist. I always wondered why my dad didn’t care about me enough to stay out of prison I have worked this out in therapy. My Dad being in prison had a significant impact on my life, I had a lot of friends that lived in my neighborhood, had two-parent homes and had Dads. It was hard for me to tell them that I have a dad, but he is in prison, did not make me feel good. It was heartbreaking that my dad missed out on my childhood; he was supposed to teach me things. I have learned that when I do have children, I will be there to raise them. The decisions that I make I will keep in mind how they will affect my family. My Dad’s situation made me realize that I had to break this cycle and do something with my life to find a career and be great at it. l also had a Strong Mom and Grandma and the thing that I loved the most is that they never spoke badly about my dad. They made me aware that my dad made a bad decision and with that decision came consequences and he ended up in prison. They made sure I had a village of family and friends surrounding me with male role models in my life to teach me how to become a respectable young man, and how to be a successful and productive man in society. I started cooking when I was 8 years old and through my mom’s encouragement, I started making simple dishes like hamburger French fries. Then graduated to fancier things. My family loved the things that I made and gave me tons of compliments. I had Southern, Asian, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and Italian influences growing up, being a Chef was my destiny. In the future, I would like to serve my community by putting on pop-up restaurants for the homeless. I want to give them a taste of fine dining, serve them dishes I’ve created and introduce them to fine cuisine. Give them a sense of community and let them know they matter. I am now dedicated to mastering my craft, I am so excited to start this journey and I am determined to make my family proud. This scholarship would help me see my dream come true, I plan to become a very successful Chef and your scholarship will allow me to focus on my studies and remove the financial responsibility from my mom and stepdad. I would be honored to be the recipient of this award. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best Regards, Anthony Longmire