Celebrating Ayona Frazier

Ayona poses with her father (left) and sister (right) at her graduation from the CC Pearce Culinary School.

Ayona Frazier graduated a couple of years ago and had her mind set on being a psychologist. Then, COVID hit and the lockdowns began. Going to college didn’t seem quite as appealing in that environment.

“When everyone was quarantined, I started cooking. I taught myself how to bake and how to cook new things. I started experimenting, putting this flavor with that flavor, and was like, ‘I think I like this.’ Seeing people’s reactions to the food when they’d say, ‘Oh my gosh! This tastes so good!’—I liked to see that.”

Ayona is the oldest of five children and loves to cook for her siblings. They were her test lab for new foods, and they urged Ayona to try new things.

“My sister would be on TikTok and Instagram and send me stuff. She would say, ‘I want you to try this, try that. I think you can do it.’

With that, Ayona had set down the path that eventually brought her to Project Host. We sat down with Ayona to learn a little bit more about her and what she feels she’s gained by visiting the CC Pearce Culinary School.

Interns Russell and Trina (left) and Nicole, Chef Cary Jacquette, and Ayona pose with their doughnut experiment.

I see you wear a photo in a necklace around your neck and know there’s a connection with that and your interest in cooking. Tell me a little about that.

There are a few cooks in the family, but this is my great-great-grandmother. She did all the cooking, and she basically held the family together. Everyone would come over to eat. She made the roast, the green beans, the macaroni, the yams—I could keep on going. I’m really inspired by her because her daughter—my great-grandmother—passed down recipes to me, like the secret to our family potato salad. Not many people know the secret, but I do, and want to keep that alive and be the next one to keep the family together.

How did you learn about the culinary program at Project Host? What made you sign up?

Like I mentioned, I was going to sign up at Greenville Tech for psychology, but I changed my mind because of the pandemic. My grandmother and one of my cousins mentioned the six-week program at Project Host to me. My cousin Tiffany Foster at Goodwill called up Tobin and Michelle and then urged me to sign up.

What’s been the best part of your experience in the Project Host culinary school?

The best part of the culinary school was improving my knife skills, handling customers professionally, and expanding my horizon. I’m not used to some of the ingredients we worked with here. I never tried to go that far.

I also learned about presentation. Plating makes people say, “Hey, I want that!”

What have you learned in terms of soft skills and life skills?

I’ve definitely learned some customer service skills. People can be rude, and you have to still be nice and try to meet people halfway without losing yourself and giving the same energy they give you.

Even if I don’t open up a restaurant, I will always have these skills of talking to people professionally: my clients, people above me, people in general.

How do you feel about doing meal prep for Cooking for Kids?

At first I didn’t think I was going to like it because we had to have over 300 meals out the door in like an hour! Then, I started to get used to it and started prepping for the next day—that’s another thing I learned: It’s always good to prep! I felt better once I started getting the hang of it.

Plus, I think it’s wonderful that the program does this for kids. When I was younger, I had everything I needed. Seeing that there were other people less fortunate than me, I always wanted to help people. This is a good way to help. It’s a good meal, and it’s healthy.

Ayona samples food and talks to Greenville Tech culinary students at their open house event.

How would you describe working with Chef Cary Jacquette?

Chef Cary is very high energy, especially when he’s excited about something. He taught me a lot of stuff I didn’t know, like the origins of sauces and how they are made, and a lot of French techniques. He always answers my questions and gives deep, thorough answers.

What are you looking forward to getting to learn during your internship on the food truck and in the Bakery?

In the Bakery, you can bake so much, and baking is what I started off with. I know it’s not just sweets, but people always want something sweet, so it’s always good to have that skill. But I hope to learn more than just cakes and cookies.

As for the food truck, I’m really excited about that opportunity. I talked to another intern, Russell, about it, and he was telling me how it goes and said Chef Marianne is a great person. Even if there’s a bunch of chaos, she’ll answer your question and get you there.

What are you hoping and planning to do with your training and certification?

I’d love to open up a restaurant. I haven’t thought about the theme, but I know I don’t want it to just be Southern-style food. I think we have enough of that down here.

Right now, I have been in the process to see if I could start to sell some of my food as a side gig. After this program, I do want to work in a restaurant to get the experience. I still want to go back to school for my psychology degree. I’m interested in mental health among younger kids.

Ideally, one day I’d love to collapse my two interests together. Come eat and talk—people love talking over a good meal. You can pay me for both the food and the therapy. I’d call myself The Food Therapist.

By Claudia Winkler