Culinary Student Awards: Why a James Beard Foundation Scholarship Winner Chose LCI

One of the most prestigious culinary scholarship awards is the James M. Beard Foundation Scholarship. Students and culinary professionals from across the country apply for this award that is meant to further their education through an accredited culinary education curriculum. This year, one of the 2022 winners was none other than LCI’s own Pierce Ziebarth. Ziebarth also received the Louisiana Seafood Scholarship.

Pierce discovered his love of cooking through his Italian grandmother. She instilled in him a love and passion for creating meals for people to enjoy. You could always find Pierce in the kitchen helping his grandmother prepare spaghetti every weekend. When she unexpectedly passed away in 2016, he stepped away from the kitchen.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that he felt the need to find solace in something that he loves doing. While studying criminal justice at Southeastern Louisiana University through COVID-19 forced online courses, working as a server, and cheerleading for the Lions, he knew it was time for him to focus on what was most important to him and rediscover his true passion. This journey led him right back into the kitchen. “The kitchen became my haven and my therapy, and I slowly fell in love with it and discovered the passion that my grandmother instilled in me. I knew I had to make food and cook for others and provide the same joy that my grandmother gave to me,” remembers Pierce.

Pierce is currently in the final stages of Louisiana Culinary Institute’s baking and pastry program and will complete the “savory” curriculum next. While Pierce eventually ended up at LCI to begin his culinary career, he considered 15 different culinary programs. “I’m a true believer in doing your research and finding the perfect place, and once I stepped foot on LCI’s campus for a tour, I knew I was home.”

“Pierce is a self-motivated student always striving to hone his skills in the bread and pastry industry. He loves experimenting with sour dough breads. Keeping on this path, I look forward on watching his career grow,” says Chef Colt Patin.

Through his experience at LCI, one of the most rewarding parts is being to create and enjoy food that you otherwise wouldn’t think is possible. “You see pictures in magazines or on websites and you think that looks impossible, but you get the opportunity to try and succeed.” His favorite part about the culinary art world is experiencing the joy that you bring to someone by giving them great food. “When you feed someone tasty food it changes their mood and changes their day; being a part of that is my favorite part of the process.”

After graduating from Louisiana Culinary Institute with his second culinary degree Pierce plans to venture and gain any experience that he can in the culinary industry, as well as travel to broaden his perspective. “Eventually I would like to run a Michelin star restaurant or be an executive chef for a high-end hotel or resort.”

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.

Leadership and Culinary Skill: Why Being a Great Cook Isn't the Same as Being a Great Leader

By Charlie Ruffolo • February 26, 2026

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.