Influential Woman · Culinary

Marianna Culebro

Culinary arts, Management & Training Corporation

San Diego, CA 92173

4Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Fashion Design Degree Art Institute of San Diego Degree Culinary Arts Degree San Diego Culinary Institute Cert President's Award in Culinary Arts

Her Story

About Marianna

My journey in the culinary industry spans 14 years and has been transformative. I graduated from high school in 2003, but it wasn't until 2012 that I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a chef by attending culinary school. At the time, I was a single mom working as a receptionist in an import-export office, and I didn't want my son to see me as just a receptionist. Going to culinary school was a huge challenge - I was getting sick, my dad was sick at home, and my aunt had cancer. Despite all of this, I graduated with the highest diploma and received the President's Award. I got the job of my dreams at Mr. A's, a restaurant from the 60s in San Diego, and eventually opened my own restaurant, which I later gave to my brother. I continued working in various kitchens, moving up the line from salads to saute, which handles more than half the menu in restaurants. I worked at Gartman J and then at University Club in San Diego, where I was about to make sous chef. Three years ago, my culinary instructor called and invited me to teach at Job Corps, which completely changed my mind about being an executive chef or owning a restaurant again. Now, as a culinary director at Job Corps, I work with up to 60 students who have mental health issues, come from foster care, struggle with addictions, and face financial challenges. I train them to work in fine dining and place them in high-end restaurants, including Michelin star restaurants. We help them get cars, find apartments, secure housing, and get on track in life. The satisfaction of seeing people without the opportunities I had - without families, money for school, or warm meals - getting a better life is the best satisfaction I've ever had.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Marianna

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to opening up to my students and showing them the real me - not just the mean chef or instructor, but the person who had struggles in life and challenges to overcome. I tell them about my own challenges, about being a single mom who struggled, about getting sick and going to the hospital but trying to come back as soon as possible. They get to see the mom, the single mom who struggles, the person behind the instructor. It's about getting them to know the other side of me that had to go through everything to get where I am. This helps them see me as an example and want to be like me, especially when working with students who have mental health issues and come from difficult backgrounds.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Follow your dreams and never give up. No matter what other people say - people will always try to bring you down or say, oh, that's not for you, you're not capable of doing something like that. But if we want it, we can do it.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think the biggest challenge is working with people who have mental health issues - it's like getting a box of chocolates, we don't know what we're getting. The challenge is to get to know them the right way, make them look at us as an example, and want to be like us. It's not that everyone likes you all the time, especially teenagers. Most of the time, it's about opening up to them, telling them my challenges, getting them to know the other side of me that is not only an instructor but also a person who had struggles in life. They get to see the person who had to go through everything to get where I am, not just the mean chef or instructor who wants them to be quiet and work.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The most important value to me is the satisfaction of seeing people without the opportunities that I had - people who don't have families, money to go to school, or a house with a warm meal - getting a better life. When they call me back and say, hey chef, I'm working in a restaurant, or hey chef, I found an apartment, that's the best satisfaction I ever had. It's about giving people who don't have the same possibilities that I did the chance for a better life. That's what led me from owning a restaurant to working at Job Corps - the satisfaction of helping others and giving my knowledge to more people.

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