Sean Synan’s experience with food has changed his life for the better.

By: Nicole Pologruto

Sean Synan taught himself how to bake cake during his Senior year at New Dorp High School. After his cake did not rise, he and his father began cut out individual pieces from the pan. This experience made Synan realize he wanted to explore cooking.

“My mom doesn’t know how to cook, but my dad was always really good at cooking,” said Synan, who is now a junior at CSI. “I knew I wanted to cook and take care of myself.”

His experience in 2018 that consisted of eating salmon, asparagus, and rice at The Cheesecake Factory in Jersey City, New Jersey opened his eyes to what cooking could offer. Synan was struggling with anxiety and wasn’t eating anything good for months, so the meal he had was a real eye opener.

“For some reason, I really enjoyed it,” says Synan. “It made me realize I need to learn how to make meals like this or I am going to die.”

Watching Hell’s Kitchen featuring Gordon Ramsay helped Synan through the process. His favorite thing to work with is salmon, so watching the chef taught him how to make healthy and delicious meals and how to experiment with different ingredients. Since his mom is Asian, Synan works with rice the most, but finds himself using varieties of pasta and vegetables as well.

Cooking isn’t Synan’s only experience in a kitchen. He worked as a waiter and busboy for Molo Restaurant in Staten Island and it gave him a newfound appreciation. Synan believes that waiters and busboys don’t get enough credit.

“It’s a lot of hard work and you need to be able to work with people,” says Synan, who also believes that communication skills are key. “I’ve seen 100 people walk in the door and leave because they realized it’s harder than it looks.”