A time-worn book lies open on the kitchen counter, spewing with handwritten notes and ingredients lists. There’s an overflowing pot boiling on the stove and each chop of the vegetable on the wooden cutting board reverberates around the room with a chilling certainty.
As the summer air blows through the open window and flips the pages of the recipe book, a young Madison Manahan stands on her tiptoes and places her chin on the counter trying to get a better look. Suddenly, her grandmother comes up behind her, places a hand on her shoulder, and tells her to grab a stool and finish stirring the pot.
To five-year-old Manahan, it’s a ritual that seemed merely like time with her loved ones. But looking back twelve years later, it solidifies something she already knew: she’s always been a chef.
Taking her first culinary class her freshman year, Manahan was immediately awestruck at the possibilities that unfolded in front of her. From being selected for her first cooking show—a program hosted by BTES—to drafting up ideas for a potential school store, she’s always been enabled not only by her personal drive, but by those supporting her in her endeavors.
“A lot of schools and students don’t get this opportunity, so I’m really lucky to go to a school that actually cares about what I want to do with my life and supports me through all of that,” said Manahan. “It means a lot that people actually believe in me.”
Fully immersing herself in the program over the next few years, Manahan built Viking Brew from the ground up. Working strenuously to create the business model, hire people, and form authentic original recipes, she’s essentially already opened her first restaurant, providing her with a one-of-a-kind, invaluable experience.
“My experience has been transformative. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot to prepare me for college, specifically culinary-wise,” said Manahan. “I get to experiment. I get complete creative freedom.”
This freedom, in addition to providing her with opportunities to explore her culinary passions, has also allowed her to grow and evolve into a much more resilient person. Coming into high school as a wide-eyed freshman, she feels she’s leaving as a more mature, humble person, who never lost her passion for what she loves.
“It’s been really enlightening,” said Manahan. “I’ve learned so much and I’ve grown so much from where I started, and now I feel a lot more content. I’m also just a lot more confident in who I am and who I’m going to be next.”
Manahan plans to attend Johnson and Wales University, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this fall, where she will major in culinary arts. With the school allowing students to jump right into their majors, the decision felt like second nature to her, as she is extremely eager to start her future.
“It’s the number two culinary school in the country, and there’s just so much that replicated Viking Pride,” said Manahan. “I didn’t want to just be around people that were exactly like me, but there, there’s a lot of school pride and just being proud of what everyone’s doing.”
Being a part of a community is something that’s always been immensely important to Manahan, which is a part of the reason she chose Johnson and Wales. From being a cheerleader all four years of high school, to being President of SkillsUSA, she holds her connections with others close to her.
But this is also why culinary has always felt like a second home to her. Mirroring the days when she cooked with her family as a child, Manahan’s experience in cooking has come to feel like a commutative thing that brings different walks of life together.
“I feel like food brings people together,” said Manahan. “My favorite part about cooking is being able to share what you’re making with other people. It means the world to me to be able to make others feel the same way I do when I’m in the kitchen.”
