Lynlee (Howell) Bradley (’05) is the present owner and chef instructor of Young Chefs Academy in Atlanta and owner of Lynlee Cakes, a specialty cake business. She attended Birmingham Southern College and is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.
Just what is Young Chef’s Academy? Founded in 2003, Young Chefs Academy is one part culinary adventure, one part culinary education, and it’s all for children. They learn invaluable life lessons through a cooking curriculum that evokes curiosity, which provides them with a pathway to personal discovery and creativity, all in a warm, welcoming, and inspiring movement.
Lynlee participated in Whitefield Academy’s 2017 Upper School Arts Day, where she helped to broaden the variety of art and techniques brought to the school for the day of art experience. After the event, Lynlee shared her thoughts on returning to Whitefield.
First of all, Lynlee was amazed at the new Upper School! She and her cake decorating class met in the main student lounge, positioned at the end of the hallway overlooking the Whitefield pond. Floor-to-ceiling windows and high boy tables and stools created a very “with-it” environment, according to her.
She was a bit surprised at the interest in baking – or maybe the students were just hungry for cupcakes! They were engaged and interested in the process of baking, asking great questions as they practiced their frosting techniques.
“I looked at these students and I thought, ‘Wow, this is where I was once. They seem so young and have so much more in life to experience,’" said Lynlee. "But after spending the day with them, I became impressed that several of them had already picked out a college and had huge plans for their lives.”
Lynlee has a great passion for teaching in the culinary field. She says her joy of teaching grows every day because she is teaching children what she loves. She equates that to the teachers at Whitefield. By getting to do what they love, they have more of an impact on their students.
“I look forward to bringing my son, Dallas, to Whitefield one day and showing him around," she said. "Seeing all the growth at Whitefield makes me very happy!”