How Can a Culinary Arts Degree Help You Change Professions?

Charlie Ruffolo • March 9, 2022

“I love feeding people. My favorite part of culinary arts is making people feel good with my food.” This is the motivation and inspiration behind LCI student Miracle Rowe. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Miracle’s passion for cooking, serving, and creating led her to Louisiana Culinary Institute at the urging of her friends and family. However, pursuing a degree in Advanced Culinary Arts wasn’t her first step after high school. Miracle initially began studying to become an attorney.


It was during a not so uncommon evening while she was cooking for family and friends that they suggested that she should enroll in culinary school. Her first thought was, “but I’m already in school.” Her next immediate thought was, “yeah, I should!”. So she did. Being a Baton Rouge native, her first and only choice was LCI where she is currently studying in the savory program, with plans to earn her baking and pastry degree as well. 


“Miracle is an incredibly intelligent student. She’s always willing to help others, making sure all tasks are complete in the kitchen. She’s one to watch for the future!” says Chef Mike Dunn.


The most interesting aspect thus far has been the meats class. “It’s entertaining and interesting to see where every piece and every cut comes from,” says Miracle. On the other hand, the bread class has proved more challenging than she anticipated. “There are so many parts and processes that influence each step. It’s a lot of science, with different flours, butters, and types of bread.”


After graduation, Miracle plans to combine the skills and lessons she’s learned with her passion to open her own catering business. While weddings, events, parties, and private dinners will be her focus, she’ll begin by gaining as much experience and knowledge as she can. “I’d love to bounce around, work with others, and learn as much as I can.”


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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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