Junior Bradie Mossman never expected a meal to open the door to her future. The first time she sat at a table inside the newly opened authentic Greek restaurant, Pita Blu, she was served an opportunity she could not pass up.
The chef, Jeffrey Floyd, was making rounds throughout the restaurant, asking the customers how the food was tasting. Knowing that Pita Blu had only recently opened and was still looking to hire, Mossman asked for a job application as they were talking. Something she said particularly grabbed his attention: she was graduating this year, as a junior.
As Mossman looked at her credits, she realized that she only needed a few more — they could be completed in a month. She could then focus on her future, getting one step closer to her dream of becoming an executive chef. That is what led Mossman to make the decision to walk with the class of 2016. She will attend Johnson County Community College next year, taking their prerequisite courses as well as enrolling in their culinary program.
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I’ve taken every single Foods class offered at East,” Mossman said. “I started making up my own recipes and everybody started liking them.”
Her aunt, Debbie Brumback, as well as her father, have been supportive of Mossman’s decision from the beginning. However, they made it clear that she was to do all of the work for it.
“It was one of those things where her dad and I said ‘Well this is what she wants to do, and if she accomplishes it, it’s her accomplishment,’” Brumback said. “And she did.”
But as she sat in Pita Blu talking to the chef, she saw her clear-cut future become fuzzy at the edges. Floyd jumped on the fact that she was graduating early. Since she is not yet 18, she cannot work in the kitchen. However, if she agreed to work for a year behind the counter, he offered to stay late to help her with her techniques for cooking.
Mossman admits that not walking alongside her friends next year is saddening, however she has her sights set on her career.
Junior Lena Bara is one of Mossman’s friends, and they are currently taking a cooking class together at East. Bara says that she noticed Mossman’s passion for cooking ever since they met. Although this year will be the last they cook together, Bara supports her friend’s decision to graduate early.
“I’m proud of her; she has always worked hard for what she’s wanted,” Bara said. “She stayed determined and never gave up.”
Backed by the support of her friends and family, Mossman feels confident in what the future holds for her.