Changing Careers to the Culinary Field: The Benefits of Earning Another Degree After College

Charlie Ruffolo • March 28, 2022

Matthew Landry is completing his final semester at Louisiana Culinary Institute. While the accelerated 16-month degree program has flown by, his journey to and through culinary school took a longer path. After earning his business degree from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Landry accepted an internship in the oil field with his father’s company working in a refinery. After two years, he started building off-shore tools for Halliburton, and realized that this type of work just wasn’t for him.


The Lafayette native has always enjoyed cooking for friends and family; this is how he would spend his weekends off. It was during one of these afternoons when he was encouraged to shift career paths and pursue culinary school. LCI was the first and only choice. “My Dad looked into LCI, the reviews were amazing, and my sister was already in Baton Rouge in vet school at LSU. Everything worked out,” says Matthew. “I took my visit and was hooked. This has been life changing for me.”


One of the most interesting aspects of culinary school has been the different experiences in the kitchen labs. “You get to work with many different chefs and see how they operate. Some let you take your own approach to a dish, giving you a true sense of responsibility, and what to expect in a real, professional kitchen,” says Matthew. “Matt has a real passion for cooking. He’s always working to exceed expectations and pushes himself to his full potential. I have no doubt he will be successful in this industry,” says. Chef Colt Patin


Another facet of the culinary experience at Louisiana Culinary Institute that stood out is how much can be accomplished when everyone is on the same page. “In our demo classes we have a great group of people. We all get along, and it’s like a well-oiled machine.” On the flip side, culinary school also prepares you to expect the unexpected. “Every dish won’t always be what you want it to be, and you have to learn to work with different people and always bring your A-game.”


Matthew has always had a passion for cooking and creating. “When you make good food and people enjoy it, it makes you feel good inside.”  After graduation, Matthew looks to continue gaining experience, eventually leveraging his passion, expertise, and education to open his own bar and grill, on the beach in Destin, Florida.


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From Music to Kitchen Mastery: Student Spotlight on Ben Messina

By Charlie Ruffolo • March 25, 2026
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. 
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