Meet Members of the Class of 2025

Class of 2025
Jessica Menashe  
MAJOR: CULINARY ARTS 

Jessica Menashe didn’t expect her path to college to lead through the kitchen, but that’s exactly where she found her purpose.

Born on Long Island and raised in Howard Beach, Queens, Menashe originally planned to become a math teacher. She started college at Queens College but left after one semester. “I wasn’t happy there,” she said. “I knew I wanted something different.”

What came next was a leap of faith. With encouragement from her family, she enrolled in the culinary arts program at Kingsborough Community College in spring 2023. The decision followed a difficult personal loss in December 2022. “It was someone who had always encouraged me to go to culinary school,” she said. “They’d wanted it for me my whole life.”

At Kingsborough, Menashe found more than a major—she found a community. She credits her professors with helping her develop not just her technical skills but also her confidence.

Chef Anthony Marzuillo, who was her first and last culinary professor at KCC, stands out as a major influence. “He has a saying: ‘Every day is a day to be excellent.’ That really stuck with me,” she said. Menashe even had the word “excellent” tattooed on her wrist in his handwriting as a reminder to push herself. “He’s someone I know I can always go to.”

Menashe also praised Professors Naxielly Dominguez, Robert Ramsey, Joseph Boljonis, Lexis Gonzalez, and Kim Lerner, describing each as instrumental to her growth. “Everyone was like family,” she said. “I learned so much from all of them.”

The ASAP student made the Dean’s List twice and volunteered at culinary events like ECO Eats and the Société Culinarian Philanthropies.

Menashe graduated from Kingsborough in January 2025 with an associate degree in culinary arts and is attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in food business management. Now in her second semester, she was awarded the Les Dames d’Escoffier New York scholarship and serves as an orientation leader, inspiring incoming CIA students.

Her long-term goal is to own a restaurant inspired by her grandmother’s cooking. “Going to her house for holidays or family celebrations brought me so much comfort and joy,” she said. “I want to share that feeling with as many people as I can.”

Menashe also hasn’t ruled out teaching. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “Now I think, why not teach the thing I love the most?”