This school year, North Point has many new teachers, ranging from Spanish, to math, to financial literacy. The culinary program has received a new teacher as well. His name is Chef Christopher Willis.

When asked what motivated and inspired him to become a chef and Chef Willis said, “My grandfather was a cook in the army. He always cooked Thanksgivings, and I always helped him cook. Then when I was in high school, I was good at three things: football, baseball, and cooking. I worked at a restaurant, and the chef kind of motivated me to go to culinary school.” Chef Willis started off in the culinary world very early. He found something that he loved doing at a young age and he pursued it.

Before he came to North Point, Chef Willis was a Corporate Chef. He says the best part of having that job was the adrenaline rush. He liked, “The fast pace of the kitchen and the comradery in the kitchen.” He felt that the people in the kitchen were like a big family. The job of Corporate Chef required a lot of traveling and it was a lot of fun for him. Chef Willis has been to many different places and restaurants, and seen many different foods. He did say that it was a lot of work though. There were many hours and a lot of holidays that were missed.

Chef Willis came to North Point “To grow the county and the food culture. To get the kids knowing more.” He wanted to be able to teach “the future” some of the things that he knows and allow them to carry it on. He spoke of a pastry chef that he taught before. He took her in and taught her and now, she’s working at one of the best restaurants in Maryland. Chef Willis says that seeing someone become successful after helping them “Makes you feel, as a chef, that you took somebody, and now you see where they are, that makes it all worth it.”