For Tinnetta Garner, culinary school has been a delicate balancing act she has mastered with impressive skill and finesse.

It was Garner’s love of cooking for others that drove her to MATC.

Her excellent palate and eye for plate presentation have helped her put some remarkable dishes on the tables of customers; something that she notes inspires her. “I get a natural high when I watch someone enjoying something I prepared,” she stated in a recent interview.

It has only been about two years since Garner started her professional culinary journey, but she states that she’s no stranger to the kitchen. She spent a significant amount of her childhood cooking with her grandmother.

From there, she began to venture off to develop new recipes and experiment with older recipes. A career in food seemed like a natural transition.

Throughout her time in culinary school, Garner found herself juggling her classwork, job at The Packing House and taking care of her four children. Regardless of the workload, she was always up to the task!

Garner is a strong advocate of sourcing ingredients locally, knowing that very little will beat the freshness of homegrown produce. She also stresses the importance of product utilization in the kitchen, noting how small actions can have a large impact.

“Simple things like zesting lemons, limes and oranges before using them just to make sure I’m using them to their full potential goes a long way,” she noted.

As for what’s next for Garner, she hopes that her degree will take her to new places. Having lived in Wisconsin all of her life, she would love a position that would enable her to travel. “What’s better than cooking great food for great people while seeing great places?” Garner commented.

Garner advises cooks of any and all backgrounds to never stop tasting their food, it will help to refine their dishes. This is an important factor in the culinary field that is often set aside, but should absolutely be a priority. “You can never taste too much!” she emphasized.

Best of luck to Garner in all of her future endeavors!