Culinary Student Opens Successful Wholesale Bread Business
Kalamata 505 is one of SFI’s success stories. Frossene King, the owner and creative mind behind this unique business, is a graduate of the SFI program and also currently enrolled in CNM Culinary Arts program. We are proud to have her apart of the SFI team and fully support her culinary adventure.
SFI would like to thank CNM for writing the article below that documents Frossene’s success story:
After years of teaching graphic design at the community college in Corvallis Oregon, Frossene King and her husband decided to relocate to the Land of Enchantment and pursue a life-long passion for the culinary arts.
“It was definitely a bucket list item for us,” Frossene says. “We love to cook and so we dove headfirst into CNM’s Culinary program. We had no idea what we were in for.”
While her husband completed CNM’s Culinary Fundamentals Certificate program, Frossene immersed herself in the popular two-year associate degree program. She says the program challenged her in ways she’s never experienced before.
“The program takes a lot of time, energy and dedication. But it is absolutely worth all the hard work,” she says. “I’ve learned so much through CNM’s program and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the amazing education I received here.”
Frosenne has proven to be a shining star in the culinary program. Through the skills she’s learned and with the support of her instructors and mentors, Frossene has launched her very own wholesale bread business, Kalamata 505, which combines her Greek heritage with the flavors of New Mexico.
“My signature bread is a kalamata green chile bread,” she says. “My grandmother owned her own restaurant and I wanted to honor her by incorporating traditional Greek ingredients like Kalamata olives with the robust flavors of New Mexico’s green chiles.”
In addition to owning her own company, Frossene has built strong relationships with the local nonprofit, Street Food Institute (SFI), where she now works as an SFI Café Manager.
CNM partners with the Street Food Institute to create internships for culinary students. The students get valuable hands-on experience working under renowned Executive Chef David Sellers.
“The SFI is a great place to really get a well-rounded experience in the culinary field,” Frossene says. “We get to work in the actual kitchen, on the food trucks and on catering jobs. And Chef David is an invaluable asset to our learning experience.”
CNM Culinary Instructor Kerry Logan says New Mexico is a growing hub for great food experiences, with plenty of employment opportunities for culinary graduates.
“Food in New Mexico is doing so well,” says Kerry. “From corporate chefs, to personal chefs, to casinos and hotels, our students will have plenty of opportunities to be placed in jobs that need quality-trained chefs.”
This article courtesy of Central New Mexico College