Mt. Spokane High School: From a childhood in his grandmother’s kitchen, Addison Keys shapes his career goals

Mt. Spokane High School senior Addison Keys found his inspiration in his grandmother, who cooked dishes inspired by her Russian heritage. Keyes lived with his grandparents until he was 7, which gave him plenty of time to soak up his grandmother’s culinary skills.

His grandmother was also influenced by Asian cuisine, since her mother had spent time in China after leaving Russia. “She was a good cook,” he said. “It was just something different every night. There were no repeats.”

Keys moved around a bit and spent time in Spokane Public Schools before moving to Mt. Spokane his sophomore year. That’s where he discovered Pro Start, a two-year culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students. “I really got a lot of confidence from the Pro Start class there,” he said. “I really found my passion for cooking that I knew was always there, I just hadn’t used it.”

Students learn how to cook and earn their food handler permits, but they also learn the basics about the hospitality industry. Sometimes the students work in teams and take turns being the head chef, directing others in what to do. “You learn a lot,” Keys said.

As part of the program, Keys had to find a two-year restaurant internship. He was interested in working at Kuni’s Thai Cuisine in north Spokane, but the restaurant didn’t participate in the Pro Start program. His teacher, Maureen Collins, reached out and persuaded the restaurant to join the program and hire him on, Keys said.

“They’re all really great there, really nice people,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot there.”

Keys is about 800 hours into the 2,000-hour program, which he expects to complete next year. At the end he’ll be required to pass a skills test, which includes cooking for judges, in order to receive his journey level card.

Keys said he spends his time at Kuni’s doing everything from washing dishes to main dish prep. He’s also been in charge of cleaning and sanitizing, vegetable prep and plating dishes. “It’s back of house work,” he said.

Collins said it was clear from the beginning that Keys wanted a culinary career. “He’s very quiet, but he’s very goal driven,” she said. “He’s a perfectionist.”

She said Keys does best with savory dishes, a term commonly used to refer to salty or spicy dishes, not sweet. “He does fantastic plating and sauces,” she said.

Collins estimates that between 10% and 15% of her students will go on to have culinary careers. She recommends that students with a passion for the field pursue it, but only if they know what they’re getting into.

“It is a passion,” she said. “They have to have that passion. It is a lot of hard work.”

Keys said he plans to start Spokane Community College’s culinary program in the fall. Once he graduates from there, he’d like to travel the world, cooking as he goes.

“I’d like to experience different cultures and their food,” he said. “I could work in a restaurant hopefully anywhere I go.”