KCKCC Culinary Arts Program

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

👩‍🍳 Meet Chef Kelly Jenkins, Culinary Arts Instructor at KCKCC's Leavenworth Location, Pioneer Career Center! ✨

For Chef Kelly Jenkins, a life in the kitchen started at a young age. Growing up, she loved spending time cooking alongside her mother and grandmothers, learning the value of good food, family, and hard work. Even when her role was simply washing dishes, she knew the kitchen was where she belonged.

As a stay-at-home mom raising two daughters, Chef Kelly continued to nurture her love of cooking and baking while putting family first. Her professional culinary journey began unexpectedly when a visit to her daughter's school cafeteria led to a job opportunity. Starting as a dishwasher and kitchen assistant, she quickly advanced into cooking, baking, and food service roles, discovering a passion for feeding and serving her community.

In 2009, Chef Kelly joined KCKCC as a Lab Assistant in what was then the Professional Cooking Program. While helping students in the kitchen labs, she continued her own education, earning her Culinary Arts degree from KCKCC in 2014 and proudly walking across the stage alongside the program's graduates.

After becoming an Adjunct Instructor in 2015, Chef Kelly was selected to lead the Culinary Arts program at KCKCC's Leavenworth location, Pioneer Career Center, where she continues to teach today. Now beginning her 17th year with the college, she remains dedicated to helping students build skills, confidence, and a passion for the culinary industry.

Chef Kelly has also made a tremendous impact through student competitions and leadership in SkillsUSA. Throughout her career, she has coached students to earn numerous medals at the state and national levels and has accompanied students to competitions across the country. As Lead SkillsUSA Advisor at the Leavenworth campus, she has helped countless students achieve success while representing KCKCC with excellence.

Her achievements include:
🏆 2016 ACF Greater Kansas City Chef's Association Culinarian of the Year
🏆 2016 Award for Expanding Opportunities for High School Students and Adult Learners Through Hands-On Culinary Training and Outstanding Competition Achievement
🏆 2021 SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year
🏆 Chosen as the Most Inspirational Teacher by Horizon Scholars in 2022, 2023, and 2024
🥈🥇 Coached multiple student teams to Silver and Gold Medal wins alongside Chef Justin Mitchell

For Chef Kelly, the greatest reward has always been helping others. Being able to share her knowledge, mentor students, and watch them achieve their goals while continuing to care for her family has made her culinary journey truly meaningful.

Please join us in celebrating Chef Kelly Jenkins and the incredible dedication, mentorship, and passion she brings to KCKCC Culinary Arts every day! 👏🍽️

09/02/2026

👩‍🍳 Meet Chef Breanna Herd, Culinary Arts Adjunct Instructor & Lab Specialist at KCKCC's Leavenworth Location, Pioneer Career Center! ✨

A proud Kansas City Kansas Community College Culinary Arts graduate from the Class of 2014, Chef Bre Herd has come full circle by helping educate and inspire the next generation of culinary professionals.

Chef Bre's passion for cooking began at home, learning alongside her dad and great-grandmother. After high school, she took a year to help with family matters, and during that time, cooking for her family sparked a deeper love for the culinary arts. That experience ultimately led her to enroll at KCKCC, where she stepped outside her comfort zone and discovered not only a passion for cooking, but also one of the most rewarding years of learning and personal growth in her life.

Following graduation, Chef Bre worked as a baker at Children's Mercy Hospital, gaining valuable industry experience and refining her specialty in baking. When KCKCC's new campus opened, she was invited by a former instructor to join the Culinary Arts team. Since January 2016, she has served as a Lab Specialist and Adjunct Instructor, helping students develop strong culinary fundamentals while discovering her own passion for teaching and mentoring.

Today, Chef Bre supports students at KCKCC's Culinary Arts program at the Leavenworth location, Pioneer Career Center, where she focuses on helping students build confidence, developing foundational cooking skills, and sharing her love of the culinary industry.

Outside of the classroom and kitchen, Chef Bre is most proud of being a wife and mom to her three sons. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, reading, and doing crafts. She also previously operated a successful cake and baking business before retiring from the business to focus on raising her family.

We're proud to have Chef Bre as part of the KCKCC Culinary Arts family and grateful for the experience, dedication, and encouragement she brings to our students every day! 👏🧁

09/01/2026

👩‍🍳 Meet Chef Nicole Reyes, Lab Specialist at KCKCC Culinary Arts! 🎂✨

For Chef Nicole Reyes, KCKCC is more than a workplace. It's home.

A proud graduate of the Kansas City Kansas Community College Culinary Arts Program, Chef Nicole first earned her Culinary Arts Certificate before returning to complete her Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts. While studying at KCKCC, she discovered a passion for baking that would help shape her career.

Driven by her love of baking, Chef Nicole competed in SkillsUSA Commercial Baking, earning 1st Place at the State Competition and an impressive 13th Place at the National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky.

Continuing to build her expertise, she went on to complete the Baking & Pastry Certificate Program at Johnson County Community College, further strengthening her skills in the art of baking and pastry.

Since joining KCKCC as a Lab Specialist in October 2016, Chef Nicole has been dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed in the kitchen. In addition to her work at KCKCC, Chef Nicole owned and operated a small baking business for nearly 10 years, creating cakes, cookies, and other custom desserts. Her entrepreneurial experience adds another layer of real-world expertise that she brings to the Culinary Arts program.

Today, Chef Nicole is proud to share her knowledge, experience, and passion with the next generation of culinary professionals. While she has taken a step back from her business, she has embraced an even sweeter role: being a mom. ❤️

We're proud to have Chef Nicole as part of the KCKCC Culinary Arts family and grateful for the talent, dedication, and enthusiasm she brings to our program every day! 👏

08/31/2026

We're on Instagram! 🎉 Follow to stay in the loop and see what's happening in our program. Give us a follow! 📱✨

08/31/2026

👩‍🍳 Meet Chef Reyam Yas, Adjunct Culinary Instructor & Lab Specialist at KCKCC! 🧁✨

Chef Reyam Yas brings a unique blend of talent, dedication, and international culinary experience to the Kansas City Kansas Community College Culinary Arts program.

A graduate of L'École Culinaire, Chef Reyam excelled academically as a 4.0 GPA student and proudly served as a student ambassador during her time there. Originally from Iraq, she developed her love of cooking at an early age and has been passionate about food for as long as she can remember.

Specializing in cakes, pastries, and baking, Chef Reyam has built her culinary knowledge through both formal education and hands-on experiences. Her international cooking expertise comes from a lifetime of cooking, learning from chefs and home cooks, and traveling throughout the world to experience diverse cuisines and culinary traditions firsthand.

For the past nine years, Chef Reyam has been a valued member of the KCKCC family, sharing her knowledge and passion with students in the Culinary Arts program. She has also served as a SkillsUSA coach, leading students to outstanding success, including multiple Kansas State Championship gold medals and a National Silver Medal in Commercial Baking.

Whether she's teaching baking techniques, mentoring students, or helping future culinary professionals achieve their goals, Chef Reyam is committed to fostering excellence in the kitchen and beyond.

When asked about her favorite food, the answer is simple: Anything her mom makes. ❤️

We're proud to have Chef Reyam as part of the KCKCC Culinary Arts team and grateful for the experience, leadership, and passion she brings to our students every day! 👏

08/28/2026

🔪🥩 First kitchen lab of the semester is underway!

Our Foods II Culinary Arts students got hands-on experience butchering a full strip loin while learning the importance of raw yield testing, a key industry skill used to evaluate product yield, cost, and efficiency.

After fabrication, students transformed their cuts into a classic culinary dish: New York Strip Steak au Poivre served with Potato Gratin. 🍽️

From butchery and yield analysis to cooking and plating, students are building the technical skills used in professional kitchens every day.

08/28/2026

👨‍🍳 Meet Chef Adam Jones, Adjunct Culinary Instructor at KCKCC! 🎉

Chef Adam Jones has been passionate about food since he was just 13 years old. A Missouri native, he began his culinary journey at Forest Park Community College before heading to San Francisco to immerse himself in one of the nation's most celebrated culinary scenes.

After studying at City College of San Francisco, Chef Adam earned his Culinary Arts degree from the prestigious California Culinary Academy, graduating on the Dean's List.

Known for his innovative approach to seafood cuisine, Chef Adam built an impressive career leading fine-dining kitchens throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. His culinary résumé includes renowned restaurants such as The Franciscan, Restaurant Michael Mina, Market Street Grill, Palomino, and Sutro's. Along the way, he participated in numerous celebrity chef events and was even featured on ABC 7's Sunday Morning News.

After years in professional kitchens, Chef Adam shifted his focus to one of his most important roles, being a stay-at-home dad. While stepping away from restaurant operations, he remained deeply connected to the culinary industry through restaurant and wine consulting.

Today, Chef Adam brings his wealth of experience and passion for the craft to the classroom as an Adjunct Culinary Instructor at KCKCC, helping students develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the industry.

When he's not teaching or consulting, you can find him sharing recipes on his YouTube cooking channel or combining his love of music and performance on his YouTube drum cover channel. 🥁🍽️

We're proud to have Chef Adam as part of our Culinary Arts team and grateful for the knowledge, creativity, and real-world experience he shares with our students every day! 👏

08/27/2026

👏 Big shoutout to our Culinary Arts students in Leavenworth! 👩‍🍳❤️ Great job serving up some delicious breakfast foods at your Culinary Arts Café! We love seeing our program thriving at both locations. Keep up the great work! 🍴🔥