Meet Devante Dickerson, Apprentice Chef de Cuisine at Columbia Dining

In the five months that Devante Dickerson has worked as Apprentice Chef de Cuisine for Columbia Dining, they’ve learned two things: the importance of flexibility, and how to cook for thousands of people at once. “I’ve been cooking for years, but I’ve never had to cook at this scale before!” they say with a laugh, while plating a bowl of tofu and rice at the John Jay action station.  

Twenty-three-year-old Devante comes to Columbia Dining through the New York City Public School Success Via Apprenticeship (SVA) Program. Created in 1984 to solve New York City’s shortage of vocational teachers, SVA has since evolved to focus more broadly on career and technical education. Program participants rotate through a series of industry sites and school classrooms to master their craft as tradesmen and educators. Upon graduation from the program, participants are certified to teach their trade, thus ensuring the next generation of skilled trade workers. 

Devante’s lifelong passion for cooking is rivaled only by their love for learning: Devante has a BA in hospitality management and is pursuing an MA in Food Arts alongside the SVA Program. Being a fulltime graduate student and fulltime apprentice is exhausting but rewarding. “I’ve loved cooking and writing since the seventh grade,” Devante says. “It’s important to me to educate through different mediums: I want to highlight marginalized communities and the narratives they pass down through food.” 

Columbia Dining is Devante’s final industry rotation in the SVA program, and the last step to becoming a certified culinary arts teacher. Previously, they trained with Chef JJ Johson, founder and owner of Harlem-based Fieldtrip, and Master Chef of France Alexis St. Martin of Le Viscos, a boutique hotel and restaurant in Saint-Savin, France. They also completed classroom rotations teaching culinary arts at Brooklyn STEAM Center and Long Island City High School.  

As part of their apprenticeship with Columbia Dining, Devante hosted a special lunch event at John Jay on Wednesday, November 13. “The menu is a celebration of my family’s southern heritage and the greater African diaspora,” Devante explained. The curated menu pulled inspiration from South Carolina, where Devante’s family is from, as well as Africa and the Caribbean. Specials included:     

• Mushroom-gravy smothered pork or BBQ fable mushrooms with dirty rice, Autumn quinoa succotash, Harissa-roasted sweet potatoes, and southern style black-eyed peas 
• Piri Piri chicken or Piri Piri baby cauliflower with spiced coconut basmati rice and sauteed collard greens 
• Chicken, tomato jam, and pimento cheese panini 
• Sancocho and Jamaican-inspired pumpkin soup 

The Columbia Dining team has been thrilled to see Devante take on this challenge. “We serve over 1,200 swipes for a weekday lunch at John Jay. It’s no small feat to prepare a menu and oversee the culinary team for lunch service. Devante’s event was an opportunity to put into practice the technical and management skills they’ve developed since starting with Dining in July,” said Columbia Dining Executive Chef and SVA Program Mentor, Michael DeMartino, “and we know they’re ready to rise to the occasion.” 

Columbia Dining is the first University culinary center to participate as an industry site for the SVA Program. “We are proud to participate in programs like SVA,” explains Columbia Dining Assistant Vice President Vicki Dunn. “Finding meaningful ways to support growth and advancement in our local community is core to the mission of Columbia Dining.”   

Devante will complete the SVA Program in May. “The biggest takeaway from this program is that you never stop learning,” Devante reflected.  “I get to be a teacher, but I’m also still a student! Each mentor instills something new and profound in me – I’ve worked in France and I’ve worked in schools, and still I learn something new every day.”  

About Columbia Dining 

Columbia Dining is the University’s on-campus food service provider. Across the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, the team operates seven dining halls and four retail cafes to serve more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate student plan holders. Supporting the local community is core to Columbia Dining’s mission. The department has longstanding relationships with local food banks and charitable organizations and provides support through donations of surplus food and kitchen equipment. In 2023, Columbia Dining was presented with the Together We Can Make a Difference Award for supporting local food accessibility initiatives. Columbia Dining is an operating department within Columbia University Facilities and Operations.