Teyana Taylor is sharing her excitement about returning to school to study a passion of hers: cooking delicious meals.
The multifaceted singer, actress, and creative director opened up about her decision to enroll in culinary school and pursue something she’s always been interested in.
“I’m so excited. Like, literally as soon as we get off this interview, I’m going straight to class. I’m putting on my coat, my uniform, and I’m getting to it,” Taylor told Marie Claire. “It’s always been a passion of mine. I’ve always loved to cook. It’s been very therapeutic for me.”
With such a demanding schedule as an entertainer and mother of two young daughters, Junie, 9, and Rue, 5, Taylor views pursuing her passion for cooking as “showing up for myself.”
“I don’t have the time to do it, but I have the time to show up for me,” she shared. “It’s ‘work’ in the best way because it’s something that you’re doing for you. It’s a passion that you’re turning into purpose.”
In July, Taylor announced on Instagram that she was enrolling in culinary school with a playful video showing off her apron and chef’s hat. In the caption, the A Thousand and One actress shared her lifelong love of cooking, noting her neighborhood nickname, the “Hood Betty Crocker,” for baking treats for friends.
“Wow… it’s really happening. A dream I’ve carried in my heart for so long is finally becoming a reality, and I’m feeling every bit of it,” Taylor wrote.
“Cooking and baking have always been more than just hobbies for me; they’ve been my passion, my peace, my therapy. Since I was a little girl, I remember being glued next to whoever was in the kitchen while the other kids played around! Lol, watching all the amazing women in my life cook all our favorite meals with so much love and joy. I must say I def got a cooking ass family lol That’s where it all started. And by the time I was 13/14, I was the “hood Betty Crocker” in Harlem, baking cakes for the neighbors and anyone who asked.”
Despite life’s “twists and turns” and her busy schedule as a working mom, Taylor is finding joy in pursuing a natural passion that continues her family’s legacy in the kitchen.
“Through every twist and turn in my life and career, the kitchen has been a safe space,” she added. “So it was always a goal of mine to get my degree in Culinary Arts & Pastry Arts but I never got around to it due to my crazy work schedule, mommy life and simply life, life’nnnnnn lol but honestly finding my way back and
going to school at this time is important because it’s the time where I get to show up for me. No matter how hectic life gets, I find comfort in the rhythm of it all—the chopping, the stirring, the creating.”