Claire Kingery's internship at Schmidt's Catering is doing more than building her résumé. It's shaping her dream of opening a downtown Columbus bakery.
The second-year Culinary Arts student at Tolles Career & Technical Center began her internship in May 2025, quickly stepping into real catering responsibilities: prepping sides, cooking sausages and chicken, creating spaetzle and mastering pâte à choux dough used to make Schmidt's well-known cream puffs.
Claire's hands-on experience is made possible through Tolles' two-by-two work-based learning model, which allows students to spend two weeks learning on campus followed by two weeks gaining real-world experience at their internship sites throughout the academic year. This structure helps students immediately apply technical skills, time management and workplace expectations in professional settings.
"Time management has been one of the biggest things I've learned," Claire said. "Being in a real kitchen teaches you how to stay organized and handle pressure."
Claire’s experience reflects the intentional design of Tolles’ Culinary Arts program, where classroom instruction and real-world application work hand in hand.
“Seeing students like Claire apply their classroom skills in a real kitchen environment is exactly what we hope for,” said Nick Shuler, Tolles Culinary Arts instructor. “Work-based learning allows students to grow their confidence, refine their technique and understand what it truly takes to succeed in the culinary field.”
Working alongside Schmidt's Catering Kitchen Manager Ryan Casey and Manager Will Decker, Claire has focused not only on culinary techniques but also on food safety, efficiency and problem-solving. Through daily responsibilities and mentorship, she has strengthened her knife skills, food prep abilities and overall confidence in the kitchen.
A Dublin Scioto High School student, Claire's passion for culinary arts began early. She started cooking with her parents around age 8. She later realized through school that cooking could become a career, leading her to enroll in Tolles' Culinary Arts program, where she earned her ServSafe certification, demonstrating essential food safety knowledge and building industry-ready skills employers expect.
After graduation, Claire plans to continue gaining culinary experience, with a long-term goal of opening her own bakery in downtown Columbus. She is also exploring Ohio State University's Food Business Management program as a future step toward that goal.
Claire's experience reflects the broader impact of Tolles' work-based learning programs. So far during the 2025-26 academic year, Tolles students have collectively earned more than $526,000 and logged more than 33,000 hours of work-based learning, gaining paid, real-world experience across a wide range of industries.
"Claire is a great example of how work-based learning prepares students for what comes next," said Steve Cawley, Tolles internship coordinator . "She's building technical skills, professional confidence and a clear vision for her future."
Claire's next steps at Schmidt's will teach her to make cakes and strudels, but the real lesson is already clear: when classroom training meets real-world experience, students don't just learn a trade; they build a future.