First executive Black chef for Dallas ISD

By Lena Foster Chef Trina Nelson knew she was passionate about cooking when she made her first meal at the age of eight. One morning, she wanted to switch it up from the normal cereal and milk her mom left out for her and brother, so not only did she decide to cook eggs, sausage and toast, but she was raving about it all at school.& Her boasting led to her teacher calling her mother, and although Nelson was unsure of her mother’s response once she got home, she was surprised her mother told her to cook again. That evening, her mother was blown away by what Trina produced; that planted a seed for Nelson to continue to expand her culinary knowledge by watching cooking shows like “Yan Can Cook” and “Julia Child”.& “I learned a lot from watching these cooking shows. Not only how to cook simple stuff, but I also learned how to explain what I’m doing and how to teach what I’m doing and how to have that presence when I’m talking about food,” Nelson said.  Photo Credit: DISD Nelson graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in management, and after working...