Louisiana Culinary Institute Blog

See how LCI alumnus Lincoln J. Fay turned his culinary education into a career spanning Italy, New England, and a Sous Chef promotion.

Can culinary school change your career path? See how Louisiana Culinary Institute helped Kyla pursue pastry arts.

Learn why culinary school is a type of trade school and how it prepares students for culinary careers in Louisiana.

See how hands-on training, chef mentorship, and real-world experience are helping LCI student David “Malachi” Hamilton achieve his goals.

Build a successful culinary career with hands-on chef training, leadership skills, and real-world hospitality industry experience.

From classroom to top kitchens, discover how LCI prepares aspiring chefs for real-world success in the competitive culinary industry.

Planning an event in Baton Rouge? Learn what to look for in a venue, including catering, layout, and full-service options for a flawless event.

Some people know from childhood exactly where they're headed. Ben Messina took a different route. He started college as a music major, took a gap year to find his footing, and leaned on his brother's encouragement before landing exactly where he was always meant to be: a professional kitchen . Now a senior in the Savory program at Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) in Baton Rouge, Ben is weeks away from graduating in May 2026. He arrived at LCI with a love of cooking and a family connection to food. He's leaving with a world-class culinary foundation, a mentor who pushed him to be his best, and a dream of opening multiple restaurants of his own one day. His story is proof that the path to a culinary career doesn't have to be a straight line. Is It Too Late to Change Careers and Go to Culinary School? For Ben, food has always been part of the family fabric. Growing up in Baton Rouge, he spent time in the kitchen with his grandmother, learning to make snickerdoodles as a kid. Those early memories planted a seed. But Ben initially followed a different passion. He'd played trumpet and piano since a young age, so he enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University to study music. It wasn't long before the questions started creeping in: "What am I actually going to do with a music degree?" He took a gap year to figure it out. And the answer, when it came, was simple: go back to his other love. Cooking. His brother, who owns a food truck, had been encouraging him to consider culinary school. More specifically, he encouraged Ben to look at LCI. And then, without warning, he signed him up for a campus tour. 

Being a great cook isn’t enough. Explore how LCI develops culinary leadership skills that prepare students for real-world kitchen management and career growth.