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Charlene Soh entered a culinary programme without a cooking background. Three years later, she proved her mettle at a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco.
In March 2026, Charlene Soh was named Employee of the Month at Quince & Co., a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco whose private events arm has hosted billionaires and even the city’s mayor.
“An incredible asset to the team.”
“Demonstrating versatility and a strong commitment to excellence.”
“A Swiss Army knife across our operations.”
Her citation was a glowing report pieced together by feedback from several full-time chefs who worked with the 23-year-old.
“I was shocked by the description in that citation. I wasn’t expecting to get it,” recalls Charlene.
It was, after all, an unlikely honour for the Singaporean intern. Less than three years ago, during her admissions interview for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Charlene could not answer two basic culinary questions put to her—how to poach fish and how to make choux pastry. With no cooking background to lean on, she pushed through by submitting a 1000-word research report instead, earning her entry into CIA’s Food Business Management (Culinary Arts) degree programme. This programme is offered by SIT through its overseas university partner, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Less than three years after learning to cook from scratch, Charlene Soh earned ‘Employee of the Month’ at a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco. (Photo: Charlene Soh)
Her Route into the Culinary World
Though she didn’t cook growing up, Charlene had always been connected to the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Both her parents used to work in restaurants and having seen how gruelling F&B could be, they steered her towards an IT diploma at polytechnic instead.
But Charlene’s affinity for the food business was undeniable. She started waiting tables part-time right after her O-Levels, continuing to do so through polytechnic and her degree.
Charlene’s love for F&B service was cemented on a particularly chaotic Valentine’s Day in 2023. She was running the packed restaurant floor with only her manager and forgot to key in an order for a family of four. When Charlene noticed and rushed over to apologise, they told her not to worry and even left her a cash tip after their meal.
“Their words of appreciation melted me because someone in the crowd noticed how hard the work was. That was when I decided I wanted to stay in this industry,” says Charlene.
Charlene handpicks nasturtium leaves which are used as garnish at Quince. (Photo: Charlene Soh)
Learning to Cook from Scratch
By her own admission, Charlene was not the strongest student. “I guess my personality is more suited to work than school,” she laughs. But her ability to think on her feet from years of front-of-house work helped her quickly rectify mistakes and pull through practical exams.
Still, the fundamentals she picked up in class, from knife skills to cooking techniques and wine and food pairing, gave her a solid foundation to hold her own in professional kitchens. She also developed a keener and deeper awareness of different F&B concepts. In particular, the Italian Top Table module in SIT-CIA equipped her with a strong understanding of Italian ingredients, cooking techniques and pasta preparation, allowing her to adapt more quickly when working in the kitchen at Quince & Co.
Charlene prepared one of Quince's seasonal dishes, First of the Season White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and Summer Delights. (Photo: Charlene Soh)
Swiss Army Knife-like Versatility
Though she was capable of kitchen duties, Charlene knew exactly where her strengths and passions lay. Within her first two weeks at Quince & Co., she took a gamble and asked the culinary director for front-of-house opportunities instead. Her bold request led to an introduction to Chef Keegan Tokumura, who ran the group’s private events.
Working alongside Chef Keegan became one of the defining experiences of Charlene's externship. As part of a small events team, she worked closely with him at nearly every event, gaining hands-on experience in everything from food preparation and service to sourcing seasonal produce. “Chef Keegan also took the time to mentor me beyond the kitchen, like bringing me to San Francisco's Ferry Building Farmers Market to meet suppliers and learn how to select quality ingredients,” she says.
Charlene helped cater intimate dinners and larger-scale VIP events at Quince, its sister concepts and other off-site premises. The work exposed her to the demands of serving high-net-worth clients, politicians and celebrities, an experience that was eye-opening and exciting in equal measure.
But the glamour came with immense stress. New to working in a fast-paced professional kitchen, Charlene was reduced to tears several times after stern criticism from a veteran Chef de Cuisine. Still, Charlene got up each day and put her hand up for opportunities that came her way. This included cooking for a last-minute off-site Christmas Day dinner for a client who turned out to be a lead Super Bowl organiser.
Charlene's colleagues described her as a hardworking, dependable and versatile team member. (Photo: Charlene Soh)
His gratitude and warm greeting for Charlene months later felt like an echo of the kind family that she served back in Singapore, “There will always be bad days in this industry. But with this little bit of appreciation and understanding from clients, I push through.”
Since graduating from CIA, Charlene has joined Emirates’ dining arm, which runs several F&B outlets at Changi Airport. Selected for the company's competitive management development programme, Charlene will rotate across its portfolio of dining concepts, including Hudsons Coffee, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Asian Street Kitchen, Kopi Kakis, Pret A Manger and Tiger Den, gaining hands-on experience in operations, people management, supplier relations, marketing and customer engagement.
While she has already worked at some of its dining concepts, Charlene is eager to broaden her perspective and develop her people-management skills. At 23, Charlene is now managing colleagues who are much older. Gaining their respect will be a hurdle she needs to cross. But coming off the back of her rigorous time at Quince & Co., she is unperturbed and ready to earn her stripes one shift at a time.
Reflecting on her culinary journey across multiple dining floors to the kitchen, Charlene’s advice to juniors is simple and honest, “Even when you’re at your lowest, the day always passes. You just need to find something that keeps you going.”
Inspired by Charlene’s story? Learn more about SIT-CIA’s Food Business Management programmes in Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts.
