Most high school students do not truly discover their passions until they head off for colleges or careers. For senior Madison Cumbest the route has been different. She uncovered her passion at the early age of 5 when she first learned to bake. Since then, her fascination has blossomed into a professional aspiration, and Cumbest will be attending the Culinary Institute of America, one of the world’s top culinary schools, for a bachelor’s degree in pastry and arts management.

“I started cooking when I was really really little,” Cumbest said. “My dad loves to cook, and I would help him in the kitchen as early as I can remember — learning what stuff to use, and how macaroni gets cheesy, all that good stuff.”

Steve Cumbest, Madison’s father, continues to teach her and challenge her in the kitchen to see where she stands.

“When I’m cooking, I quiz her,” he said. “Such as what should I do first? Would you cook the toast before you do the bacon – except on a much more difficult scale.”

Cumbest found inspiration from her father’s hobby in the kitchen, but her love of food spread outside of the kitchen’s confines.

“From the time she was little, all her pets and stuffed animals were named after food, her mother Marie Cumbest said. “There was tapioca, milkshake, cornflake, pudding and blueberry. She doesn’t even realize she’s doing it. Even now when she is full, she’ll say ‘I’m like a stuffed pepper.’”

Cumbest quickly progressed from her own kitchen to summer camps and work experience. After attending five baking summer programs as a child and learning cooking and baking skills, Cumbest served her meals to local chefs gaining critiques and connections along the way. One chef led to a volunteer experience at the Governor’s mansion.

“It was 86 people — 86 soups, 86 soufles, 86 salads,” Cumbest said. “It was cooking under pressure, which I had never experienced. It was amazing. That was where they no longer treat you as a kid. If the chopped vegetables aren’t done correctly, then you have to remake them.”

Cumbest recently worked at the Pie Shop located in Virginia Highland, where she delved into baking on a professional level. With senior year winding down, she looks forward to her future at the Culinary Institute of America, what Cumbest refers to as the Harvard of cooking schools.

“Her dad and I have always been supportive of whatever it is that she wanted to pursue,” Marie Cumbest said. “When she was a freshman, we went to an information meeting for the CIA. She really hit it off with the admissions director, and they started talking about food, fondants and creams and colors. I was watching this thinking ‘this is her thing.’”

As Cumbest awaits her time at the CIA, she accomplishes her graduation gift where she asks to visit a new restaurant on her list before hitting New York City. Once she is there, however, her college life will be similar to a regular university but with a culinary twist.

“I’ll have a chocolate class, a bread class, all that good stuff,” Cumbest said. “I will do management and business. I do have main classes; I have to take like history, but it will be history of a wedding cake.”

Cumbest also mentioned her parents support in her endeavours. Even family quirks helped  encourage her along the way.

“Whenever my mom goes out of town, she always brings back a menu from a place she ate at,” Cumbest said. “I have to guess what she ate — of course, it’s always scallops or something along those lines.”

With family support and an education from the CIA, Cumbest expects a successful future in the industry. Eager to own a bakery or restaurant one day, she prepares to acquire the skills and the taste to succeed, enjoying every second in the kitchen along the way.

“It’s never gonna go out of style,” Cumbest said. “Everyone always has to eat. You are what you eat. I love to cook, and I love to eat.”