Emersyn Keefer knows where everything is in the kitchen. The knives. The ovens. The rhythm of a class settling in. She should — she learned it here.
Long before she was hired to teach for EICC, she stood on the other side of the counter, a high school student earning college credit, learning how to work with precision and confidence.
Now, Keefer is the instructor, guiding students through the same fundamentals that shaped her, and proving that when opportunity starts early, it sticks.
Her entry into culinary arts was not planned. As a junior in high school, she was placed into a Fundamentals of Baking class without much expectation. By the end of the semester, that changed.
“I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life and actually enjoying my job,” Keefer said.
The difference was the work. It was daily, hands-on, and demanding. Cooking happened every class period. Progress was visible. The learning felt real.
That class also carried college credit, an early signal that what Keefer was doing mattered beyond high school. When her instructor moved to teach at EICC, she followed, enrolling in the Culinary Arts Career Academy her senior year.
The academy accelerated everything. Her cohort was small — four students total — which meant constant engagement and accountability. Everyone showed up because they wanted to be there.
One moment stood out. She passed the ServSafe exam on her first attempt, the only student in her class to do so.
“That was the point where I thought, I can do this,” Keefer said.
From there, the focus deepened. Students learned core techniques — sauces, soups, proteins, eggs, sanitation — not as isolated tasks, but as skills meant to carry forward.
“The sauces and soups were the most valuable,” she said. “You can take that and put it into any dish.”
As graduation approached, Keefer considered other culinary schools. Several were options. Staying close to home was part of the equation, but it was not the deciding factor.
What kept her was the environment she had already experienced — one built on consistency, mentorship, and shared expectations.
“It was the community,” she said. “Everybody was community-driven.”
After graduating high school in May 2023, Keefer continued her education, earning her culinary arts associate degree in spring 2025. Weeks later, a former instructor suggested she apply for an open teaching position.
“At first, I applied thinking nothing of it,” she said. “I just wanted to see what would happen.”
What happened was fast. A demonstration. Interviews. Then an offer — delivered while she was returning from a trip to Alaska.
“I was ecstatic,” Keefer said. “And very nervous. It suddenly became real.”
She was hired in July 2025 and stepped into the same kitchens where she once trained.
Teaching without a traditional education degree felt unfamiliar at first, but not unmanageable. She had spent years observing instructors demonstrate techniques, explain decisions, and guide students through the work. That approach became her model.
“They would demonstrate before we did anything. That is how I teach now,” Keefer said.
Her classes are structured but flexible. There is a framework, but no script. She plans week by week, and invites student input.
“I always ask for feedback,” Keefer said. “Did you like this? Would you do it again?”
She begins each class with a question of the day, a routine that gets students talking before they cook. When she skips it, they notice.
Keefer’s students range from high school juniors to adults with years of work experience. The age difference concerned her at first, but it hasn’t been an issue.
“They treat me with so much respect,” she said.
She teaches sanitation and safety, food fundamentals, and basic food preparation, with baking and hospitality math coming next semester.
“I never would have said this is where I would be,” Keefer said.
Beyond technique, she wants students to leave with confidence in their cooking and ability to solve problems.
“I want them to walk into a kitchen and make a meal out of whatever they have. I want them to enjoy cooking and not see it as a chore,” she said.
That mindset extends beyond the classroom. She remains involved in community-based culinary work, including Taste Buds, a monthly program that brings special education students to campus to cook alongside chefs and students.
“I fell in love with it. It is one of my favorite things we do,” she said.
For now, Keefer is focused on building strong semesters, steady routines, and trust with her students.
She knows the space. She knows the work. She knows what it feels like to stand at the counter for the first time. And Keefer knows what comes next, because she has lived it — step by step, right here.