Leo Degrassi is the senior president of the Culinary Club at Glendale High School. He was born and raised here in California, with an interest in hiking, riding bikes, and (shockingly!) cooking as well. Leo is the found

der of this club, and he hopes for it to increase its membership and for its members to find their passion in the culinary arts.

Leo was initially enrolled in Culinary 1-2, which is where he originally had the idea for the Culinary Club, as there wasn’t a cooking-based club on our campus already. “There was talk about creating a culinary club, but no one decided to go through with it,” Leo claimed. So during his junior year, alongside one of his classmates, Leo founded the Culinary Club, and the rest is history.

Leo claims that the purpose of this club is for students to be able to explore the culinary world. “To be honest, I think we’re one of the most active clubs in GHS, with our fundraisers and [the] culinary events that we have,” Leo said.

Many clubs have faced challenges, and the Culinary Club is no different. According to Leo, their biggest challenge has been simply starting as a new club. “Founding a club, and trying to get it to stick around, is very difficult, especially during the second semester. Because that’s when people tend to forget about their clubs, or stop showing up, because they have other [commitments],” Leo stated. “But I feel like our club is very engaging with our club members, so they stick around throughout the whole year.”

You should join the Culinary Club if you want to figure out what cooking means to you. “[GHS students] can figure out…whether or not they have a passion for cooking, or they [may] just want to figure out how to cook in general,” Leo said. “We try to make our club feel like a family. We try to do everything as a team.”

After he leaves GHS for greener pastures, Leo hopes that the Culinary Club will continue to grow strong. “We will find replacements for all us cabinet members who are seniors, and hopefully the club is still as productive as we are now,” he said. 

Ironically, Leo won’t be going to a culinary school following graduation, but instead, he plans on attending a four-year university, followed by a law school. He ultimately hopes to become a criminal justice lawyer.

If you would like to join the Culinary Club, you can message them on Instagram at @culinaryclub_glendale, or you can talk to Chef Boon in Room 6211. Get cooking, Nitros!