Post-Military Education Options: The Benefits of a Culinary Experience

Charlie Ruffolo • May 23, 2022

Shaekia Grant has been inspired to create and help others since she was a young child. From memories of cooking with her mother when she was to five years old, to serving her country for over three and half years in the Navy, her passion to create and care for others has never waned. After being honorably discharged from the United States Navy she considered pursuing a degree in the medical field. However, her enjoyment of being in the kitchen led her to culinary school. “Let’s make this a career instead of a hobby,” said Grant.



Louisiana Culinary Institute was her first and only choice as she returned to Louisiana from Tennessee. She is currently completing her degree in LCI’s savory program, having already graduated with a degree in Advanced Baking and Pastry. “Culinary school has truly opened my eyes to how creative I can be by understanding the art and science of cooking. Meeting everyone from the instructors to the other students has revealed the chemistry of putting everything together.”


One of the biggest surprises after completing her baking and pastry degree has been how much she enjoys the savory side of the curriculum. “It has really opened my eyes to what goes into creating different tastes. I want to challenge myself to see what new things I can create,” says Shaekia. “Shaekia is not afraid of getting her hands dirty. There is not a challenge she will back down from in the kitchen. She has the drive to make it far in this industry and will succeed in whatever path she chooses,” says Chef Dave Tiner


While Shaekia has always had an interest in baking, it was her own personal and family health history that led her to pursue the savory side of LCI, and her post education goals. After graduation Shaekia would like to open a food truck, and eventually a restaurant that offers vegan meal and treat options for those with different intolerances. “As someone who is lactose intolerant, I want to offer easy to find meals for people with different dietary limitations and allergies. I’m currently working on a sugarless cookie recipe for my grandmother who is diabetic. That was a big motivator for me to go into the savory side, so I can create all kinds of safe and tasty recipes, not just desserts.”

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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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