CFCC Student Krysha Veras Is Preparing for a Culinary Career in the Coast Guard

Born in the Dominican Republic, Krysha Veras grew up in a family where food was central to everyday life. A dual citizen of the United States and the Dominican Republic, Krysha is proud of her roots and the connection they have given her to food.

“In the DR, one of the main points of conversation for anyone is food,” she said. “We love to eat, and we love to make other people eat.”

Krysha started making her own meals when she was 8 or 9 years old and has been in the kitchen ever since.

A Career Takes Shape

Krysha graduated from Topsail High School in 2025, where she was part of the school’s Coast Guard JROTC program. Topsail was one of only a handful of high schools in the country to have a Coast Guard JROTC unit, and Krysha joined during its first semester in 2022.

“I took it every single year after that and absolutely loved it,” she said.

During her sophomore year in high school, a Coast Guard Culinary Specialist visited the JROTC program as a guest speaker. Krysha’s friends, knowing how much she loved cooking, decided to show the guest speaker photos of food she had prepared and plated at home.

The Culinary Specialist saw something in Krysha’s work and encouraged her to enlist.

“She told me I had a natural talent, you should enlist,” Krysha said. “And I took it to heart.”

Until that moment, Krysha had never considered cooking as a career. Now, she had a way to combine two things she loved. She decided to pursue culinary arts and prepare for a career as a Coast Guard Culinary Specialist.

Solidifying Her Decision

Krysha began taking culinary classes at Cape Fear Community College tuition-free while still in high school through the Career and College Promise program.

After graduating from Topsail High School, she enrolled at CFCC full-time in the Culinary Arts program.

Her first semester at CFCC helped confirm that she had made the right choice. Krysha especially enjoyed Culinary Skills I with Chef Oscar Zeno, whose hands-on teaching style made a lasting impression.

“He was definitely a very core part of that first semester I was here, and it solidified the fact that I really wanted to do this,” she said.

An Army veteran, Chef Oscar saw something in Krysha and invited her to help develop a dessert for a class he was teaching at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC. Together, they developed their own take on tres leches using Latin-inspired flavors.

The finished dessert featured a cake made with a 50/50 blend of pastry flour and semolina, a strawberry cream cheese filling, sweet potato compote, raspberry coulis reduction, and chocolate mole sauce.

“It was absolutely delicious,” she said. “Everybody who had it loved it, and I had a freaking blast doing it.”

She also enjoyed working in the back of the house at Our Place, CFCC’s student restaurant.

It was her first real exposure to many aspects of the restaurant industry. Before coming to CFCC, Krysha had never worked in a professional kitchen.

“I literally started on a blank slate when I started here,” she said.

Her work-based learning experience at The Commodore Club has since given her additional industry experience. Culinary Arts Program Director Chef Jaime Chadwick recommended the restaurant based on Krysha’s skills. She plans to stay until her Coast Guard enlistment is finalized and she leaves for boot camp.

A Future in the Coast Guard

Krysha plans to graduate from CFCC in December and hopes to complete her enlistment process by the end of the year or early January.

Rather than enlisting immediately after high school, she intentionally chose to spend the year completing her culinary degree.

After boot camp, she expects to continue her culinary training in California.

Eventually, she hopes to earn a spot on the Coast Guard’s culinary competition team, which competes against chefs from other military branches and civilian chefs.

“Ever since I found out that this is what I wanted to do, I have done everything I can to advance my knowledge in my field,” Krysha said.

After completing her enlistment and beginning her career, she hopes to return to school and eventually earn a doctorate focused on the science behind food.

Learn more about CFCC’s Culinary Arts program.